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Hurricane 'Ian' is already hitting Florida with torrential winds and torrential rains

2022-09-28T15:36:09.718Z


The speed of 250 kilometers per hour of the winds places it on the edge of category 5, the most dangerous


The blow from Hurricane

Ian

has already begun to hit Florida.

Strong winds and torrential rains shake the western coast of the peninsula while the eye of the hurricane approaches land, where it will arrive in the next few hours.

The keys, the southernmost area, have already suffered from flooding.

The state governor, Republican Ron De Santis, has warned that the hurricane is about to "cross the state."

It will cross it from the southwest to the northeast, leaving a trail of winds, rains, floods and destruction.

Then, surely with a smaller force, it may head for Georgia and South Carolina, according to predictions.

The tropical cyclone has been gaining strength since it left Cuba behind.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has estimated the speed of its sustained winds at 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour).

It has also warned that the storm surge can reach 12 to 18 feet in height (about four to six meters) in the area of ​​the coast that goes from Port Charlotte to Naples, including the Fort Myers and Cape Coral regions.

Flooding in those areas could be "catastrophic", it added, advising that "residents in these areas should urgently follow any evacuation orders in place".

The mandatory evacuation of some 2.5 million inhabitants of the western coast of the State has been decreed.

Tens of thousands of residents are experiencing power outages.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, made a new appeal to citizens this Wednesday to exercise extreme caution and protect themselves.

Ron De Santis has warned that it will be "a tragic event in many ways."

"The impact of the storm is going to be enormous," he said, assuring that it will leave an indelible effect.

"It's going to be a horrible day," he added.

Ian

's wind speeds as

it approaches Florida have placed it right at the upper limit of Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 131 to 155 miles per hour (210 to 250 kilometers per hour). hour) to the limit of category 5, the most dangerous.

The Tampa airport, near the bay, has announced the cessation of its operations from Tuesday afternoon indefinitely due to the risk of winds and floods.

It will reopen when it can operate safely.

Other smaller airports in the state have also announced the closure, but the Miami airport remains operational for now, although it anticipates flight cancellations due to the storm.

Hurricanes have become a daily occurrence at the end of each summer for Floridians, but they usually come down the eastern seaboard.

Ian, however, enters fully through the western part of the State.

It is expected to be the largest hurricane to hit the Tampa Bay area since those of 1848 and 1921, which had devastating effects and even redefined the area's geography.

The water level of the floods in 1921 exceeded three meters, affected the center of the city and destroyed many of the structures on the coast.

There are signs in Tampa indicating the risk of catastrophic flooding like these.

The most recent reference to a hurricane hitting the western coast of Florida is

Charley,

in 2004, which affected Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, just south of Tampa.

Michael,

in 2018, affected the northern part of the coast, the Cape San Blas area.

The hurricane season in the Atlantic started this year with some delay, but in September it has made up for lost time.

The first storm to reach hurricane status was

Danielle

, earlier this month, when it is normal for there to be a hurricane in August.

Earl

(who affected the Caribbean islands),

Fiona

(who especially punished Puerto Rico) and now

Ian

have followed him

.

In between, there have been other tropical storms that have received names, but have not reached hurricane status.

During his time in Cuba, Ian left more than 11 million Cubans without electricity this Tuesday

.

The national electrical system collapsed due to the damage caused by the hurricane as it passed this morning through Pinar del Río, the country's westernmost province, and that the cyclone did not fully affect the most important economic centers in the country.

The island's authorities limited themselves to reporting in a concise note that due to an "exceptional condition" there was no longer any electricity flow in the country.

In some areas it has begun to recover.

The floods and damage to western coastal areas are serious, numerous localities are isolated and the city of Havana is experiencing a situation of chaos in the midst of the unexpected blackout, to which are added total and partial collapses of houses and numerous streets cut off by fallen trees, even though

Ian

didn't hit the capital with full force.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-09-28

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