“Take this extremely seriously,” Florida cautioned, as fuel and food are stockpiled.

‘Take this extremely seriously,’ Florida cautioned, as fuel and food are stockpiled.

The state of Florida is bracing for one of the most dangerous hurricanes in a century. Over two million people have been evacuated, and US Vice President Joe Biden coordinates emergency fuel and food supplies.
Residents and tourists in Florida have been warned not to be complacent, as Hurricane Ian’s 140mph winds are expected to affect the entire state.
After making landfall in Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, it is expected to be upgraded to Category 4 as it crosses the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and barrels towards Florida.
“The storm surge is going to be significant, and you put 20 inches of rain on top of that,” Deanne Criswell, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), said at a White House emergency briefing on Tuesday. Take this seriously, and don’t underestimate the potential of this storm. “We’re talking about impacts in parts of Florida that haven’t seen a major direct impact in nearly 100 years,” says one expert.
More than 300,000 people have been instructed to flee from Tampa Bay on Florida’s west coast. Nevertheless, the entire region is likely to be affected to a certain extent, with 2.5 million people being relocated from their residences.
Ian is on his way to the Florida Keys, a famous touristic destination with several islands.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden abruptly canceled a planned trip and called the leaders of three Florida cities to guarantee them that federal assistance is ready to deploy food, fuel, and shelter.

Fema personnel who arrived in the state on Monday have already set up 29 emergency shelters which is a great start, and more shelters are being planned for.

The storm made landfall in the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio early Tuesday, according to the US National Hurricane Centre. According to Daniel Brown, senior specialist at the center, it brought “extreme hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall.”
Officials established 55 shelters, dispatched emergency personnel, and have taken steps to safeguard crops in Cuba’s central tobacco-growing region.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency throughout the state and implored inhabitants to plan.
He warned of “widespread consequences throughout the state.” He warned of a “destructive storm surge, heavy downpours, flash flooding, heavy winds, harmful sea, and isolated tornadic activity” from the weather system.
Flooding is expected for much of the Florida peninsula midweek, followed by heavy rain in the southeast of the United States eventually this week.

Empty storage
Supermarket shelves in some parts of Florida have been emptied, and several residents have positioned sandbags around their apartments.
The last time Tampa Bay, which is predicted to be in Ian’s eye, was hit by a major storm was on October 25, 1921.
Because of Hurricane Ian, the National Hurricane Centre forecasts storm surges in Tampa Bay and surrounding islands of between 5ft and 10ft (1.5m and 3m), far above standard tide conditions.
“That’s a lot of rainfall. That’s not going to go away quickly, “Cathie Perkins, the emergency management director for Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater, stated.
“This is not a laughing matter. This is a potentially deadly storm surge.”
The severe weather event prompted NASA to shelter its Artemis 1 lunar rocket again for the third time.
Because of the approaching hurricane, BP and Chevron have shut down their offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
The British embassy in Washington, DC, advised British citizens to “closely monitor local and international weather updates and follow the advice of local authorities or your tour operator, including any evacuation orders.”