[The Epoch Times, September 27, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Takasugi compiles and reports) Hurricane Ian has grown stronger as it approaches the end of Cuba, and it will become a four-year-old as early as Wednesday (September 28). Category hurricane and headed toward the west coast of Florida.
According to weather forecasts, Ian will be a powerful hurricane when it hits the tip of Cuba. After that, it will become a more powerful Category 4 hurricane with top winds of 140 mph (225 kph) in warm Gulf waters before continuing to hit Florida.
As of Monday’s forecast, Tampa and St. Petersburg in Florida appeared to be among the most likely targets. It was the first time the region has been directly hit by a powerful hurricane since 1921.
“Take this storm seriously. Storm It’s real, it’s not a drill.”
Cuban authorities evacuated 50,000 people in Pinar del Rio province, dispatched medical and emergency personnel and took steps to protect food and other items in warehouses, Cuban state media reported.
“Extreme hurricanes are expected in Cuba, along with life-threatening storm surges and heavy rainfall,” Daniel Brown, a senior specialist at the US National Hurricane Center, told The Associated Press earlier Monday. .”
The National Hurricane Center predicted that a storm surge of up to 14 feet (4.3 meters) could be seen on the coast of Cuba on Monday night or early Tuesday (September 27).
In Havana, fishermen are pulling their boats out of the water along the Malecon, the famous seaside boardwalk. Workers in the city are busy dredging drains ahead of the torrential rain.
Adyz Ladron, a 35-year-old Havana resident, said he was concerned about the potential rise in water levels from the storm.
Pointing to his chest, he said: “I was very scared because my house could be completely submerged and the water would go all the way here.”
About 195 miles (310 kilometers) southeast of the tip of Cuba on Monday afternoon, Ian was moving northwest at 13 miles (20 kilometers) per hour. Maximum sustained winds increased to 85 miles per hour (135 kilometers per hour).
The Hurricane Center forecast said Hurricane Ian would not linger over Cuba, but would slow down and become wider and stronger over the Gulf of Mexico, “with the potential to bring severe winds and storm surge to the west coast of Florida.”
Waves of up to 10 feet (about 3 meters) and 10 inches (about 25 centimeters) of rain are expected in the Tampa Bay area, with individual areas reaching 15 inches (about 38 centimeters). The rainfall was sufficient to cause damage to coastal communities.
In Hillsborough County alone, as many as 300,000 residents may need to be evacuated from low-lying areas, Hillsborough County Executive Bonnie Wise said. Evacuations in some of the most vulnerable areas began on Monday afternoon. Some schools and other facilities have opened as shelters.
“We must do everything possible to protect our residents. Time is of the essence,” Wise said.
Tampa residents have been lining up for hours to buy sandbags, as well as bottled water on store shelves.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency and warned that Hurricane Ian could hit much of the state. As the hurricane swirled northward across the state’s Gulf Coast, it could cause power outages and disruptions to fuel supplies.
President Joe Biden authorized the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. Biden delayed his planned trip to Florida on Tuesday because of the storm.
To be safe, NASA plans to begin slowly transporting its lunar rockets from the launch pad back to the Kennedy Space Center hangar. The move will delay the rocket launch by several weeks.
Responsible editor: Li Yuan#