(27 Sep 2022)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
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Tampa, Florida -- 27 September 2022
1. Various aerials of residents filling up sand bags ahead of Hurricane Ian
ANNOTATION: Many Tampa, Florida residents decided to flee the area in anticipation of  Hurricane Ian. Many live in low-lying neighborhoods that are highly susceptible to storm surge and flooding they have rarely before experienced. It was not yet clear precisely where Ian would crash ashore but many weren't taking any chances.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lake Buena Vista, Florida - 27 September 2022
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Renee Correa, Tampa resident:
"I've been here 45 years, and this is the first time I left for a storm. The water just really scared me, and as well as the path. It was very confusing and I didn't want to risk it, so I went, my Chihuahua and my daughters and we left town and, you know, just praying for everybody at home. But yeah it's a scary storm."
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Tampa, Florida - 27 September 2022
3. Aerial of people filling sandbags
ANNOTATION: Hurricane Ian is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm by the time it hits Florida, where 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lake Buena Vista, Florida - 27 September 2022
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeannie and Randy Gassman, Tampa residents:
"We're here in Orlando as we evacuated. Of course, we had a disagreement on evacuating. My husband wanted to stay in a 24-floor high-rise to watch the storm come in. And I wanted to play it safe and evacuate. So, as you can see, I won. We're in Orlando and we're safe."
ANNOTATION:  Forecasters warned flash floods were possible across the whole state, and portions of Florida's east coast faced a potential storm surge threat.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Havana – 27 September 2022
5. Various shots with rain, wind
STORYLINE:
Tampa, Florida residents are fleeing the area for higher ground to try to avoid Hurricane Ian.
It's been more than a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the vulnerable Tampa Bay area.
Many of these people live in low-lying neighborhoods that are highly susceptible to storm surge and flooding they have rarely before experienced.
Randy and Jeannie Gassman disagreed about where they should ride out the hurricane, knowing that it shouldn't be at their Tampa area home which is on the water.
Randy Gassman wanted to watch the storm from the 24th floor of a friend's high rise in St. Petersburg, but Jeannie Gassman insisted they drive inland to Orlando. Jeannie won the argument and they drove with their dog to Orlando on Tuesday.
Jeannie Gassman said she wanted to play it safe. "As you can see, I won and we are in Orlando," she said.
Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday and left 1 million people without electricity, then churned on a collision course with Florida over warm Gulf waters expected to strengthen it into a catastrophic Category 4 storm.
Ian was expected to get even stronger over the warm Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of 130 mph (209 kph) as it approaches the southwest coast of Florida, where 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.
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