TAMPA, Fla. — The Orlando International Airport is reopening on Friday after Hurricane Ian brought flooding rains and wind to the city.
Flights will resume after noon, according to the airport, but anyone flying into or out of the city is encouraged to check their flight status with their airlines.
Roads leading into the airport, which had been closed, will reopen on Friday morning. The airport is asking anyone with flights on Friday not to arrive at the airport before 10 a.m.
In a Twitter post Thursday night, the airport said that "the decision was made after a careful consideration for the safety and security of the traveling public and airport employees."
The emergency operations center that was open during the hurricane will continue monitoring the situation to make any necessary adjustments, the airport said.
The city of Orlando experienced historic flooding with more than 14 inches of water in some places.
The devastation inflicted on Florida began to come into focus a day after Ian struck as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane and one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S.
It flooded homes on both the state's coasts, cut off the only bridge to a barrier island, destroyed a historic waterfront pier and knocked out electricity to 2.67 million Florida homes and businesses — nearly a quarter of utility customers.
After leaving Florida as a tropical storm Thursday and entering the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Canaveral, Ian spun up into a hurricane again with winds of 75 mph. The hurricane center predicted it would continue to strengthen before hitting South Carolina on Friday but still remain a Category 1 storm.