Tampa’s Phoenix simulation anticipated Category 5 hurricane
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press
A 2009 planning exercise dubbed Project Phoenix eerily anticipated the potential damage the Tampa Bay area is facing from Hurricane Ian. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Florida Department of Emergency Management sponsored the simulation to address the challenges of responding to and recovering from a Category 5 hurricane. The simulation, including a fictional documentary, envisioned more than 160 deaths, 30,000 missing people, upwards of 300,000 people seeking shelter and as much as $200 billion in building damage. The simulation was updated in 2020 with Project Phoenix 2.0 focusing on small business recovery.
