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Hurricane Ian hits Category 4, forces evacuation in Florida, US

Hurricane Ian – now a stronger and “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm – has begun to make landfall in Florida, United States, with major flooding and dangerous winds as it makes its way across a large swath of the state’s west coast, with potential in a few hours to cause catastrophic flooding.

“Conditions are rapidly deteriorating along the southwest coast of Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning, with downtown Ian just 88 kilometers offshore. Its maximum sustained winds were about 249 km/h — just 3 km/h less than a Category 5, the center said at 7 am local time (8 am GMT).

The area between Naples and Sarasota faces the greatest threat from dangerous storm surge, the hurricane center said. More than 2.5 million people have been advised to leave, including 1.75 million under mandatory evacuation orders – no small feat in a state with a large elderly population, some of whom need to be removed from health care centers. long term.

After hitting Cuba on Tuesday and leaving an island-wide blackout, Ian is targeting Florida’s vulnerable Gulf Coast, where residents are boarding and exiting in droves on congested highways. Schools, supermarkets, theme parks, hospitals and airports have announced closures. The navy shifted its ships and the Coast Guard closed ports.

Parts of extreme South Florida have already begun to feel the first effects of the storm, with tropical storm-force winds and at least two possible tornadoes reported in Broward County, including at North Perry Airport where planes and hangars were damaged. Major flooding has been reported in Key West due to storm surges, along with power outages.

“The time to evacuate is now,” Florida Emergency Management Division director Kevin Guthrie said Tuesday, calling Ian “a statewide event.”

As winds pick up, authorities can close bridges, complicating evacuations for those who don’t leave immediately. Gas stations may also temporarily run out of fuel, Governor Ron DeSantis said.

Water levels were already reaching about 760 millimeters above Mean Higher High Water – the third highest level behind 2005 Hurricane Wilma and 2017 Hurricane Irma, said the meteorologist at CNN Robert Shackelford.

A hurricane watch is in effect along the Gulf Coast of Florida from Chokoloskee to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay, and on Dry Tortugas. A storm watch is in effect for coastal areas including Tampa Bay.

Florida life has changed

In Tampa, police went door-to-door Tuesday in a mandatory evacuation zone, ensuring residents are ready to leave.

Previous projections estimated that Hurricane Ian was on course to directly hit Tampa Bay, which would have been the first direct impact in 100 years. As the hurricane’s path shifted south, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said mandatory evacuations and preparations continued.

“No matter where the phenomenon descends, if it gets a little bit south of us, we won’t get away unscathed and there will be flooding throughout the Tampa Bay area,” said Jane.

The governor warned that there will be “catastrophic” flooding and life-threatening storms in the Gulf Coast region, with the greatest risk in Southwest Florida, from Naples to Sarasota.

Preparations across the state have been underway for days as residents brace for Ian’s wrath. People lined up to get sandbags or crowded into stores to stock up on supplies like water and batteries.

And as the hurricane approached, the closures began.

Across Florida, 58 school districts announced closures due to this storm, as campuses turned into shelters for those who left their homes.

THE Disney World is scheduled to close Wednesday and Thursday (29), as is the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Hundreds of Publix grocery stores closed their doors Tuesday night and are expected to remain closed until Thursday.

As millions evacuate, 176 shelters open statewide and hotels and Airbnbs become available for people leaving evacuation zones, the governor said.

Local governments and state agencies are also preparing people living in nursing homes and other elderly care facilities to evacuate.

Florida has about 6 million people over the age of 60, according to the state’s Department of Elderly Affairs — nearly 30% of its total population. As of Tuesday, all adult facilities, community cafes for seniors and shuttle services in evacuation zones are closed, according to the department.

Authorities are also preparing services to spread out and respond to rescue calls and then, after the hurricane, for recovery and repair efforts.

Nearly 400 ambulances, buses and support vehicles were responding to areas where the hurricane was expected to make landfall, according to the governor’s office.

DeSantis has activated 5,000 members of the Florida National Guard for Ian response operations, and an additional 2,000 guards from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina are also being activated to help.

Florida officials were also preparing to activate the state’s urban search and rescue teams.

“We have five state teams that are activated with five additional FEMA teams [Agência Federal de Gestão de Emergências] that are at stake,” Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a press conference Tuesday night. “We have over 600 resources to support in addition to these out-of-town teams.”

After touching down, Ian will spread across Florida

The strengthening of Hurricane Ian is well defined with a clear eye, National Hurricane Center acting director Jamie Rhome said in an update Tuesday night.

“That’s not what you want to see in the eastern Gulf of Mexico,” Rhome said.

When the hurricane makes landfall, increased water is expected to move inland from the coast, bringing life-threatening flooding to coastal areas.

Millions of people are under storm alert, including the Suwannee River heading south to Flamingo, Tampa Bay and Dry Tortugas.

The area from Longboat Key to Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor, can have up to 10 feet of storm surge, according to the Hurricane Center.

The notices are also in effect on the east coast of the state, from the Flagler-Volusia county line to the mouth of the St. Mary’s and along the St. Johns.

After the descent, Ian is expected to spread across the central part of the state, with damaging winds bringing the threat of tornadoes through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The slow unrest “will dump a massive amount of rain on the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

Ian is expected to pour at least the forecast 2-3 months of rain through Friday. Central and Northeast Florida are expected to receive 300 to 457 mm of rain, while the Florida Keys and South Florida can receive 150 to 203 mm.

Central Florida is expected to see “widespread catastrophic urban and river flash floods,” while the southern part of the state is expected to brace for “considerable urban and river flash floods,” the center said.

According to current projections, the hurricane will travel from Southwest Florida to central Florida and emerge over the Atlantic Ocean late on Thursday, when it could strengthen again and affect another part of the United States.

Source: CNN Brasil

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