Hurricane Ian is heading for Florida and is expected to reach the southern US state in just a few hours. The residents of the state are preparing as best they can for the arrival of the cyclone that has already wreaked havoc on Cuba. "Predictions can change, but at the moment experts say this could be a very severe hurricane, life-threatening and with devastating effects," said US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time).
The US hurricane center warned of a life-threatening storm surge and hurricane gusts on the west coast of Florida. Evacuation instructions applied to 2.5 million people – numerous people fled to safety. "Ian" is expected to hit land on Wednesday evening (local time).
The cyclone made its way toward the Florida coast on Tuesday evening (local time) as a Category 3 of 5 hurricane. Meteorologists warned that "Ian" will gain strength over the warm Gulf of Mexico and could reach sustained winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour. The hurricane is expected to weaken before making landfall south of the city of Tampa, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. But because it then moves at a "snail's pace", a lot of rain will fall in the coastal region.
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DeSantis called on people to protect themselves. No one should assume that things will turn out lightly again this time, because that has often been the case in the past. Houses can be rebuilt, but personal safety comes first. "You still have some time, but that time is running out fast," DeSantis said.
The region expected to be affected by the storm has not experienced such a hurricane for around 100 years, warned Deanne Criswell of the American Disaster Management Agency Fema. It's important that even people who haven't lived in the southeastern state long and have little experience with hurricanes take the matter seriously. Experts are also worried that in the past few decades, construction in the region has been getting closer and closer to the water. Floods could damage or destroy many buildings. Flooding and tornadoes are also to be expected in the interior of the country, the weather service said.
The US Department of Defense said more than 3,200 members of the Florida National Guard have been activated, with another 1,800 standing by if needed. Florida has positioned soldiers, air force personnel and equipment at bases across the state in preparation for deployment to storm-hit areas, a department spokesman said in Washington. For example, the National Guard can clear streets and help with search and rescue operations.
Disney announced it would be closing its Orlando theme parks and water parks on Wednesday and Thursday as a precaution. Other recreational facilities, numerous shops and schools in Florida should also remain closed. "Ian" also messed up the political schedule in the capital Washington. A public hearing by the investigative committee into the Capitol attack scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed.
The US hurricane center warned of heavy rain in Florida up to and including Thursday – then “Ian” should then move further north – albeit with much less strength. But flooding must also be expected in the neighboring state of Georgia. Because of the hurricane, NASA has now also postponed the start of the next crew to the International Space Station ISS: instead of October 3, the "Crew-5" could start on October 4 at the earliest, the US space agency announced on Tuesday. The weather is being closely monitored.
"Ian" had previously caused major damage in Cuba and hit land with wind speeds of up to 205 kilometers per hour. The electricity failed nationwide, the state electricity provider of the socialist Caribbean state announced that the supply would be gradually restored at night and in the morning. Because of the power outages and disruptions to Internet access and telephone connections, information from the areas particularly affected only gradually reached the public.
Photos painted a picture of great destruction - they showed debris in the streets, houses submerged, trees uprooted, houses covered and streets flooded. "The damage is great, although not yet statistically recorded," President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on Twitter after a visit to the province of Pinar del Río, which was particularly hard hit.
From the southern Cuban island of Isla de la Juventud, the Communist Party newspaper "Granma" reported a total power failure and collapsed and covered houses. There was initially no official information about possible deaths. The state power company sent hundreds of technicians to the affected provinces to repair aging infrastructure. In the provincial capital, Pinar del Río, President Miguel Díaz-Canel saw the damage for himself. "We will recover, you can be sure," his Twitter account quoted him as saying.
There were also power and water cuts in the capital, Havana, and trees fell. Some houses collapsed, as "Granma" reported. Thousands of people had to get to safety from the aftermath of the storm – the majority of them stayed with family or friends. "Granma" warned, citing the weather service for the night (local time) and Wednesday, of possible flooding from waves up to three meters high on Havana's coast.
Extreme weather is also currently causing major damage in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of people were brought to safety before tropical storm Noru, and ten airports were closed. There were power outages. Heavy downpours fell in the affected regions on Tuesday, even before "Noru" even hit land. Vietnamese media reported that it is expected to be one of the most violent typhoons to hit the country in the past two decades. "Noru" had previously raged in the Philippines at up to 240 kilometers per hour from Sunday. Many areas are flooded, several people died.
Watch the video: More than 2.5 million people in Florida have been asked to get to safety.
