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Tropical Storm Ian: Minn. Twins evacuate players from Fort Myers, offer dorms to first responders

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Minnesota Twins say they're doing their part to help relief efforts in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian continues its devastating path.

The Twins hold spring training and have an academy complex in Fort Myers. Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida as a Category 4 Hurricane on Wednesday. It was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday and continues to move eastward across the state.

In a statement, the Twins said they've shut down the academy complex and evacuated their players. The team is offering the academy's dormitories to first responders.

2015 Minnesota Twins Spring Training
The Minnesota Twins Player Development Academy Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images

"As our spring home of 30-plus years, Lee County is a special part of Twins Territory and we pledge our commitment to help with immediate and longer-term recovery efforts," the team said. "To that end, we have provided the dormitories at our academy to house first responders, and are proactively engaging with our community partners in Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area to develop further assistance plans."

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