Tallahassee, Florida — On Saturday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida as Tropical Storm Ian is gaining strength over the Caribbean Sea and is expected to rapidly develop into a hurricane with a high technical impact on the state.
DeSantis initially issued an emergency order for 20 counties on Friday. However, he expanded the warning statewide, urging residents to schedule a storm that would hit much of Florida.
“This storm has the potential to intensify into a major hurricane, and we encourage all Floridians to prepare,” DeSantis said in a news release. “We are working with all state and local authorities to track any signs of this storm. potential impact.”
President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency in the state and authorized the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate mitigation efforts and provide assistance to protect lives and property. Because of the storm, the president postponed his scheduled September 27 trip to Florida.
The National Hurricane Heart said it expects Ian to strengthen before shifting across western Cuba and the Florida west coast and the Florida Panhandle next week. The company said Floridians should develop hurricane plans and advised residents to keep an eye on the latest information on the storm’s evolving path.
The centrist issued its latest bulletin as of 5 a.m. Sunday, noting that the tropical storm is expected to “rapidly intensify later in the day” and that there is an “increasing threat to high winds and storm surge impacts in western Cuba.”
Ian is expected to develop into a hurricane on Sunday and a severe hurricane as early as Monday night. The storm sustained maximum winds of 85 km/h on Sunday morning as it circled about 555 km southeast of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
A hurricane warning remains for the island, and a hurricane warning has been issued for western Cuba.
John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane expert in Miami’s Central Region, said it’s not clear that the Ian, Fla., area is likely to be hit the hardest. Residents of the state should prepare for the storm while stocking up for potential energy outages, he said.
“It’s too early to tell if this will be difficult for southeastern Florida, central Florida or the state as a whole,” he said. “So, really, at this level, the right information for individuals staying in Florida is that it’s essential to watch forecasts and aggregate against the potential impacts of this tropical system.”
In Pinellas Park, near Tampa, people were already lining up outside the housing warehouse when doors opened at 6 a.m., the Tampa Bay Occasion reported. Superintendent Wendy Macrini said the store had delivered 600 tanks of water as of early afternoon and the turbines had been shut down.
People also bought plywood to cover the windows of their homes: “Having it but never wanted it is higher than wanting it but never having it,” Matt Beaver of Pinellas Park told Occasions.
The governor’s assertion freed up emergency response capabilities and prompted members of the Florida National Guard, his workplace said. His order emphasized storm surge, flooding, harmful winds and varying climate conditions throughout the state.
Elsewhere, highly efficient post-tropical cyclone Fiona crashed in Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada early Saturday. The storm swept homes into the sea, toppled roofs on other people and destroyed energy in most of Canada’s two provinces, affecting more than 500,000 customers at the peak of the storm.
Fiona had transitioned from a hurricane to a tropical storm late Friday, but still had strong winds, bringing downpours and high waves. No life or injuries have been confirmed.
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On Ian’s road: Florida state of emergency declared as tropical storm intensifies