Tallahassee, Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida on Saturday as Tropical Storm Ian gained strength over the Caribbean and was expected to become a major hurricane soon on the path toward the state.
DeSantis initially issued an emergency order to 20 counties on Friday. But he extended the warning to the entire state, urging residents to prepare for a storm that could hit large swathes of Florida.
“This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Florida residents to make their preparations,” DeSantis said in a statement. “We are coordinating with all local and state government partners to track the potential impacts of this storm.”
President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency for the state, allowing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance to protect life and property. The president postponed a scheduled September 27 trip to Florida due to the storm.
The National Hurricane Center said Ian is expected to strengthen before moving over western Cuba and toward the western coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of next week. The agency said Florida residents should have plans for hurricanes and advised residents to keep an eye on updates to the storm’s evolving path.
The center issued an updated warning at 5 a.m. Sunday, noting that tropical storm “rapid reinforcement later today” is expected with “increased risk of winds and large storm surges in western Cuba.”
Ian was forecast to become a hurricane on Sunday and a major hurricane late Monday. The storm had winds of 50 mph on Sunday morning as it flew about 345 miles (555 km) southeast of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
A hurricane warning remained in effect for the island and hurricane hours were issued for western Cuba.
It’s not yet clear exactly where Ian will hit hard in Florida, said John Cangalosi, chief hurricane specialist for the Miami-based center. He said state residents should start preparing for the storm, including gathering supplies for possible power outages.
“It’s too early to say whether it will be a problem in southeast Florida or a problem in Central Florida or the entire state,” he said. “So at this point, the really valid message for those who live in Florida is that you have to watch the forecast, prepare, and prepare for the potential impact from this tropical system.”
The Tampa Bay Times reports that in Pinellas Park, near Tampa, people were waiting in line at the Home Depot when it opened at 6 a.m. Store manager Wendy McCarney said the store sold 600 water boxes in the early afternoon and generators ran out.
People were also buying plywood to put on their windows: “It’s better to have and not need than need and not have,” Pinellas Park’s Matt Beaver told The Times.
The governor’s office said the governor’s announcement provides emergency precautionary funding and activates members of the Florida National Guard. His order stresses that there are risks of storms, floods, dangerous winds and other weather conditions across the state.
Elsewhere, a powerful post-tropical hurricane Fiona crashed ashore early Saturday in Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Canada region. The storm engulfed homes at sea, ripping off the roofs of others, and causing power outages in the vast majority of the two Canadian provinces, with more than 500,000 customers affected at the height of the storm.
Fiona turned from a hurricane to a post-tropical storm late Friday, but she still had strong hurricane-force winds that brought torrential rain and heavy waves. No deaths or injuries have been confirmed.
Copyright © 2022 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
.
[ad_2]
