New Delhi: Residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast rode to their homes, packed their belongings, and fled to higher ground after Hurricane Ian struck Tuesday, threatening a deadly tornado and more than a foot of rain in some parts was. After crashing into Cuba earlier in the day, Ian churned along the southeast shore of the Gulf of Mexico as it headed toward Florida. More than 2.5 million Floridians were under evacuation orders or advisories, with the storm set to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane Wednesday evening (local time).
Hurricane Ian earlier made landfall in Cuba’s westernmost province of Pinar del Río early Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds as it makes its way toward the US Florida Keys, according to Sinar Daily.
The International Space Station released a space view of Hurricane Ian on Tuesday, as the storm was gaining strength south of Cuba and moving toward Florida.
#storm 26, 2022, as the storm was gaining strength south of Cuba and headed toward Florida. pic.twitter.com/LBDLTP7J6N— International Space Station (@Space_Station) September 27, 2022
A Category 3 hurricane on the five-stage Saffir–Simpson scale carries maximum sustained winds of up to 129 mph (208 kph). The latest 8 a.m. EDT (2100 GMT) hurricane advisory placed Ian’s top winds at 120 mph (195 kph).
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Ian is likely to hit the coast south of Tampa near Sarasota. That area—home to miles of sandy beaches, resort hotels, and several mobile home parks—is a favorite with retirees and vacationers alike.
“Predictions for where the storm will come from remained imprecise,” Governor Ron DeSantis said, adding that “the effects are going to be far wider than where the eye of the storm is meant to make landfall.” DeSantis told the Houston area in 2017. warned about the potential for devastating floods such as Hurricane Harvey, which was accumulating high water as a slow-moving storm.
According to the National Weather Service, parts of central Florida could receive up to 2 feet (0.6 m) of rain from Ian. The NHC also issued a widespread storm warning for nearly half of western Florida’s coastline, predicting life-threatening coastal flooding of up to 12 feet from wind-driven high surf.
Florida’s director of emergency management, Kevin Guthrie, urged residents of evacuation zones to go to safety. To ease traffic congestion, officials suspended toll collection on major highways in central Florida, the Tampa Bay area and the Interstate stretch in the Everglades known as Alligator Alley.
If Ian strikes Tampa, it will be the first hurricane to make landfall in the area since Hurricane Tarpon Springs in 1921. It could also prove to be the costliest as the latest simulations have estimated hurricane-related damages ranging from $38 billion to more than $60. Arab, Enki Research said on Tuesday.
State shutdown, power cut
DeSantis said about 60 Florida school districts were either closed on Tuesday or have plans to close by Wednesday. Many of those schools were designated as shelters for the storm and its aftermath. Commercial airlines canceled more than 2,000 US flights due to the storm.
Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport – located on a vulnerable peninsula east of Tampa Bay – ceased operations in the afternoon, and Tampa International Airport closed a few hours later.
Tampa Electric warned customers to be prepared for an “extended outage.” The company will establish a “targeted interruption” of service in a portion of downtown Tampa on the west side of the city. That area has already been evacuated. DeSantis said about 100 evacuation shelters have been opened across the state.
(with Reuters inputs)