He said most buildings in Florida are strong enough to withstand wind, but the 2.5 million people who have been told to evacuate face the greatest danger from flooding. "It is a major, major storm."ĭeSantis said nearly 100 shelters had been opened by Tuesday afternoon, with more expected. "This thing’s the real deal," DeSantis said. He said about 30,000 utility works have already been positioned around the state but it might take days before they can safely reach some of the downed power lines. Landfall south of the bay could make the impact "much less bad," McNoldy said. Its exact track could determine how severe the storm surge is for Tampa Bay, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. It was not yet clear precisely where Ian would crash ashore. With tropical storm-force winds extending 140 miles from Ian’s center, damage was expected across a wide area of Florida. Tropical storm-force winds were expected across the southern peninsula late Tuesday, reaching hurricane-force Wednesday - when the eye was predicted to make landfall. You’re going to have a lot of different impacts." "That’s going to cause a huge amount of storm surge. "You have a significant storm that may end up being a Category 4 hurricane," DeSantis said at a news conference. DeSantis declared a statewide emergency and warned that Ian could lash large areas of the state, knocking out power and interrupting fuel supplies as it swirls northward off the state’s Gulf Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)įloridians lined up for hours in Tampa to collect bags of sand and cleared store shelves of bottled water. People fill sandbags at Helen Howarth Park as they prepare for the possible arrival of Hurricane Ian in St Petersburg, Florida. And this is the kind of storm surge that is life-threatening." "And you’re going to end up with really significant storm surge and you’re going to end up with really significant flood events. Ron DeSantis told a news conference in Sarasota, a coastal city of 57,000 that could be hit. "It is a big storm, it is going to kick up a lot of water as it comes in,"Gov. Many coastal communities along Florida have already had evacuation orders given for multiple zones, totaling about 2.5 million people. Those same areas could see up to 18 inches of rain with totals as high as 24 inches in some isolated areas. Elsewhere, along Florida's Gulf Coast, areas could see up to 6 feet above normal tide. Bonita Beach to Chokoloskee could see 6 to 9 feet. Ian didn't linger over Cuba and is expected to slow down over the Gulf of Mexico, growing wider and stronger, "which will have the potential to produce significant wind and storm surge impacts along the west coast of Florida," the hurricane center said.ĭeadly storm surge of 8 to 12 feet is possible between Longboat Key and Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor. Hurricane Ian could cause catastrophic damage to Florida's Gulf Coast Local government station TelePinar reported heavy damage at the main hospital in Pinar del Rio city, tweeting photos of collapsed ceilings and toppled trees. "It was apocalyptic, a real disaster," wrote Hirochi Robaina, grandson of the operation’s founder. The owner of the premier Finca Robaina cigar producer posted photos on social media of wood-and-thatch roofs smashed to the ground, greenhouses in rubble and wagons overturned. "We will continue to monitor the trajectory and strength of this storm as it moves towards Florida.As the storm’s center moved into the Gulf, scenes of destruction emerged in Cuba’s world-famous tobacco belt. "While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared and to listen to announcements from local emergency management officials," according to a written statement from DeSantis. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia.īasically, it means state and local governments have more freedom to coordinate emergency agencies and resources to deal with a storm threat, rather than going through normal procedures. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency was issued for 34 Florida counties: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Nicole is located northeast of the Bahamas.īy Monday afternoon, Gov. However, the area of maximum winds within the circulation is farther away from the center and there is less symmetry, according to the National Weather Service. Like tropical systems, a subtropical storm has a well-defined center and a closed circulation.
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