Buccaneers-Chiefs game WILL be played in Tampa following Hurricane Ian

The NFL is going to take its chances with Hurricane Ian by keeping Sunday night’s Chiefs-Buccaneers game at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

The league previously selected US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as a contingency site for the game after the Bucs evacuated Florida’s Gulf Coast to practice in Miami ahead of Sunday’s game against the visiting Chiefs.

‘Our thoughts and prayers remain with the many thousands in the Southwest Florida region who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian,’ the Bucs said in a statement. ‘We are also very thankful that the Tampa Bay area was spared the most damaging consequences of this powerful storm.

‘We have informed the NFL, after consulting with local and state agencies, that we are ready to play Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium as originally scheduled.’

The team also thanked first responders ‘who are already battling the elements, saving lives, and helping our neighbors in those most impacted areas to our south.’

Patrick Mahomes (right) and Tom Brady (left) should both be in action on Sunday in Tampa

Boats are partially submerged at a marina in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers

Rescue crews waded through flooded streets and used boats Thursday in a scramble to save people trapped after Hurricane Ian destroyed a cross-section of Florida and brought torrential rains that inundated more communities.

The destruction began to come into focus a day after Ian made landfall in Florida as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit to the US The storm flooded homes on both of 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. At least one man was confirmed dead.

‘We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude,’ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference. ‘The amount of water that´s been rising, and will likely continue to rise today even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flooding event.’

Though downgraded to a tropical storm by Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said storm surge and flooding rains remained a threat as Ian crept across the Florida peninsula and emerged in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Canaveral. Forecasters predicted a northward turn toward South Carolina, and a hurricane warning was issued for the state´s coastline.

Sheriffs in southwest Florida said 911 centers were inundated by thousands of stranded callers, some with life-threatening emergencies. The US Coast Guard began rescue efforts around daybreak on barrier islands near where the Ian struck, DeSantis said. Fire departments fanned out in flooded areas as well.