Hurricane Ian was on a collision course with Florida and could become a Category 4 hurricane after battering Cuba and leaving the island country without power on Tuesday.
The storm is expected to intensify as it passes over the warm Gulf of Mexico before reaching the southwest coast of the Sunshine State with winds potentially reaching 130 mph.
Tropical-level winds were expected in the southern peninsula late Tuesday before the storm was predicted to reach hurricane-force in the area on Wednesday. Sarasota from Naples most at risk, National The Hurricane Center reported during a 5 p.m. update on Tuesday.
“It’s Starting to Close on the Florida Peninsula” Jamie Rome saidActing National Hurricane Center Director.
The Tampa Bay area will face a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet, The Tampa Bay Times reported, Citing a Hurricane Center graphic. According to the newspaper, the south of Tampa Bay could be hit with an extreme rise of 12 feet.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that flash, urban and small stream flooding is expected in parts of Florida along central and northern Florida with 12 to 18 inches of rain in all barrels, with some areas up to 24 inches.
a video posted on twitter A South Florida news reporter showed the storm already flooded streets in Key West.
WSVN-TV reporter TJ Parker tweeted: “The wind and rain continue as the storm moves north.”
Governor Ron DeSantis said 2.5 million people had been told to evacuate their homes, with nearly 100 shelters opened as of Tuesday afternoon.
“This thing is the real deal,” DeSantis said. “It’s a big, big storm.”
Here’s everything there is to know about Hurricane Ian:
The White House press secretary, the Republican governor and President Biden spoke on the phone as the two remained committed to a close working relationship during the potentially devastating event. Carine Jean-Pierre tweeted on Tuesday.
President Biden was also sending hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees to Florida and encouraging residents to listen to local officials.
Residents were coming out in large numbers to avoid a potentially deadly storm.
Gil Gonzalez was full of essentials as he climbed into his Tampa home as he placed bags of sand around it on Tuesday.
“All the prized possessions, we’ve put them at a friend’s house and nearby, and we’ve loaded the car,” Gonzalez said.
Officials across the state have insisted that the storm was a major threat to life and property.
Hundreds of nursing home residents were being evacuated, as were some hospital patients in the Tampa area. Airports were also closed in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Key West.
DeSantis said more than 2,000 flights by commercial airliners were canceled because of the storm, with nearly 60 school districts closed on Tuesday or classes on Wednesday.
Several tourist attractions such as Disney World and Sea World were planning to close their doors on Wednesday and Thursday, while Busch Gardens was already closed before Ian.
A woman was living in her home two blocks from the beach in Dunedin, which is west of Tampa. If the water began to rise, she said she would climb to the second floor of her house.
“I’m a Floridian, and we know how to deal with hurricanes,” said Kelly Johnson. “It’s part of living in heaven – knowing that sometimes these storms come upon you.”
With Ian threatening Florida, the hurricane has already devastated Cuba as it knocked out power for 11 million people in the country. The country’s electric union said it was working to restore power from Tuesday night through Wednesday.
The storm also forced thousands of people to evacuate as one of the country’s most important tobacco farms was badly damaged.
post with wires