Florida resident Michelle Aloi Langlois recorded a video showing a massive line of cars waiting to get free sandbags in St. Petersburg, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Ian.
The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm surge in the Tampa Bay area could reach between 5 and 10 feet above the normal tide conditions. Hurricane Ian could also produce rainfall levels between 10 and 15 inches, further worsening the situation.
Langlois told CNN she left this location on Monday since the line was so long but was able to get sandbags elsewhere.
She says in the video she only expected to get a ten sandbag allotment for her vehicle but decided waiting in the long line was not worth it.
She said the long line of vehicles seen in the video only represented what she believed was half of the line of drivers waiting in the line.
Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County in Florida, said, “That’s a lot of rain. That’s not going to drain out quickly.”
Although Ian is expected to intensify through Wednesday evening quickly, forecasters are hopeful the storm won’t maintain its intensity before landfall. The National Hurricane Center expects increased wind shear and a drier mid-level environment to affect the hurricane by late Wednesday.
