Hardee County public schools closed until further notice

Aerial view of flooding across Hardee County on Sept. 30, 2022

Flooding is a major issue here in Hardee County, where the Peace River has reached record-high levels. It is also the county with the most power outages in Florida following Ian.

WAUCHULA, Fla. - Schools in Hardee County are closed indefinitely in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

The Hardee County School District closed schools on September 27 to prepare for Hurricane Ian and announced on Friday that the schools will remain closed until further notice.

Hurricane Ian's path cut right through the heart of Hardee, leaving behind feet of water that could take days to recede.

FOX 13's crew witnessed at least a dozen people get pulled from the floodwaters on Thursday in Hardee County.

Homes surrounded by water

Homes and roads in Wauchula are surrounded by water after Hurricane Ian devastated Central Florida, but residents in the tight-knit community are helping each other out as rescue crews help get residents to safety.

Hardee County also has the highest number of power outages with 99% of residents without electricity as of Friday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rescued at least seven people. It will be a clean-up process, unlike anything the community of Wauchula has ever been through.

LINK: Visit the Hardee County School District’s website for more information at https://www.hardee.k12.fl.us/.

Hardee County Hurricane Ian Education