Ian was expected to rapidly intensify and reach Cuba as a major hurricane late Monday, before becoming a Category 4 storm over warm Gulf of Mexico waters and striking Florida on Wednesday.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Florida’s central western coast, including Tampa Bay.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency and advised citizens to prepare for the storm, which is expected to hammer vast areas of the state with torrential rainfall, powerful winds, and rising waters.
Storm Ian was strengthening as it approached Cuba, on course to impact Florida’s west coast as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday.
Ian was expected to approach the western point of Cuba as a major storm, then strengthen to a Category 4 with top winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before making landfall in Florida.
Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921 as of Monday.
Please take this storm very seriously. It’s the genuine article. “This is not a drill,” Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director Timothy Dudley warned at a storm preparation news conference in Tampa.
According to official media, authorities in Cuba were evacuating 50,000 people in Pinar del Rio province, dispatching medical and emergency professionals, and taking precautions to protect food and other crops stored in warehouses.
Cuba is anticipating extreme hurricane-force winds, as well as life-threatening storm surge and torrential rainfall,” senior expert Daniel Brown of the United States National Hurricane Center told The Associated Press.
The hurricane centre warned that storm surge over Cuba’s western coast might reach 14 feet (4.3 metres) Monday night or early Tuesday.
In Havana, fishermen were removing their boats from the water along the iconic Malecon, the beachside boardwalk, while city workers were unclogging storm drains in preparation for the anticipated rain.
Adyz Ladron, 35, of Havana, is concerned about the storm’s potential for rising water.
“I’m terrified because my house gets completely flooded, with water up to here,” he explained, indicating to his chest.
Residents in Havana’s El Fanguito, a poor neighbourhood near the Almendares River, were packing up what they could before fleeing their homes, many of which had been damaged by earlier storms.
I’m hoping we can avoid this one because it would be the last of us. “We already have so little,” said Abel Rodrigues, a 54-year-old health worker.
Ian was heading northwest at 13 mph (20 km/h) on Monday night, about 130 miles (209 kilometres) southeast of Cuba’s western tip, with top sustained winds reaching 100 mph (155 km/h).
The hurricane’s centre passed to the west of the Cayman Islands, but no substantial damage was reported, and locals were returning to the streets as the winds dropped down.
“We appear to have escaped with our lives,” Grand Cayman resident Gary Hollins said. “I’m in a good mood.”
Ian will not linger over Cuba, but will slow down over the Gulf of Mexico, growing larger and stronger, perhaps producing substantial wind and storm surge impacts near the west coast of Florida, according to the hurricane centre.
A surge of up to 10 feet (3 metres) of ocean water and 10 inches (25 centimetres) of rain was anticipated for the Tampa Bay area, with isolated locations receiving up to 15 inches (38 centimetres). That much water is enough to inundate coastal settlements.
According to county administrator Bonnie Wise, up to 300,000 people may be evacuated from low-lying areas in Hillsborough County alone. Some of those evacuations began Monday afternoon in the most susceptible neighbourhoods, with schools and other public buildings serving as shelters.
We must do everything possible to safeguard our residents.” “Time is of the essence,” remarked Wise.
Floridians queued for hours in Tampa to collect sand bags and empty store shelves of bottled water. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a statewide emergency and warned that Ian, which is swirling northward off the state’s Gulf Coast, may lash huge parts of the state, knocking out power and disrupting fuel supply.
“You have a tremendous storm that might become a Category 4 hurricane,” DeSantis warned during a press conference. “That will result in a massive storm surge.” You will experience flooding. You’ll have a lot of diverse effects.”
DeSantis announced that the state has suspended tolls in the Tampa Bay area and has activated 5,000 Florida state national guard personnel, with an additional 2,000 on standby in adjacent states.
President Joe Biden also proclaimed a state of emergency, directing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to organise disaster relief and give aid to protect people and property. Because of the storm, the president cancelled a planned trip to Florida for Tuesday.
To be safe, NASA planned to carefully wheel its moon rocket from the launch pad to its Kennedy Space Center hangar, delaying the test flight by several weeks.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Monday night that they were shifting football operations to the Miami region in preparation for their game against the Kansas City Chiefs next weekend. The Buccaneers announced on Tuesday that they will leave Tampa and relocate to Miami-Dade County. The Buccaneers are slated to begin practising on Wednesday at the Miami Dolphins’ training centre in Miami Gardens, Florida, and to continue through this week’s preparations if required.
In a press conference, Bob Gualtieri, sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida, which contains St. Petersburg, warned that while no one will be forced to leave, mandatory evacuation orders are scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday.
What this indicates is that we will not come to your aid. “You’re on your own if you don’t do it,” Gualtieri remarked.
All along Tampa Bay and the rivers that feed it will be evacuated. Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg advised people not to disregard any evacuation orders.
This storm poses a very real threat to our town, Welch warned.
The hurricane centre has encouraged Floridians to prepare for the worst and to keep an eye on the storm’s progress.
This storm poses a very real threat to our town, Welch warned.
The hurricane centre has encouraged Floridians to prepare for the worst and to keep an eye on the storm’s progress.
