Just after Hurricane Ian officially made landfall, a shark was filmed swimming in floodwaters on a Fort Myers street.
U.S. Stormwatch’s Colin McCarthy posted a video of the fish thrashing the water. “The storm surge is so powerful Hurricane Ian that it brought a shark into the city streets of Fort Myers.”
The shark sighting also comes just after Florida officials warned that alligators, snakes, and bears may emerge during Hurricane Ian. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued a statement. “You may be more likely to see alligators, snakes, and bears, so remember to stay alert and give them space.”
Newsweek further reports that wildlife may become disoriented during Hurricane Ian due to severe weather conditions. This also means that animals may pose more of a threat to humans than usual.
Ocean research organization Ocearch also issued a statement about the storm’s impacts on sharks. “Our team is still watching the Shark Tracker to see what their next moves are, but we are pleasantly surprised by a few of our sharks pinging in right after the hurricane hit, one even pinging during it.”
However, while sharks pose very little danger to humans during a hurricane, Ocearch says it will continue to track the sharks’ movements over the next few days. This is in order to see whether any become displaced during the storm.
It was reported that Hurricane Ian made landfall just north of Fort Myers as a category 4 storm. Fort Myers, Sanibel, and Don Pedro Island are considered especially high risk for significant flooding as the storm rolls through. Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says he and his don’t expect the track of the storm to change. “The biggest storm surge will come to the right of where it makes landfall.”
The storm surge is so powerful from #HurricaneIan that it has brought a shark into the city streets of Fort Myers.
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) September 28, 2022
🎥@BradHabuda pic.twitter.com/RHY0kK5RHR