2023-08-28 22:52:42
Tropical storm Idalia is approaching western Cuba with increasing force and is expected to become an imminent category 1 hurricane. According to forecasts, it will arrive with greater intensity and winds of 178 km/h on the northwest coast on Wednesday from Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 46 counties, a wide swath in the northern half of the state, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic coast. In addition, he ordered the deployment of 1,100 National Guard agents, with 2,400 elevated vehicles and 12 aircraft for rescue and recovery efforts.
Over the weekend, Idalia dumped torrential rains on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
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The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Idalia is advancing north at 13 km/h towards Cuba.
The Cuban authorities decreed a cyclone alert for the provinces of Pinar del Río and Artemisa, in the west of the country, and on the Isla de la Juventud, Granma newspaper reported. Idalia was already battering Cuba with heavy rains, particularly on the island’s western tip, where the tobacco-producing province of Pinar del Río has yet to fully recover from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ian nearly a year ago.
Alarm rises in Mexico, Cuba and Florida
A large area, which covers the Yucatan peninsula from Tulum to Río Lagartos and the island of Cozumel (Mexico), plus the Isla de la Juventud (Cuba) and Dry Tortugas Key, in Florida, are under a tropical storm warning.
But there is also a hurricane warning for Pinar del Río (Cuba) and a storm surge warning for a large part of the Florida coast on the Gulf of Mexico, which goes from Englewood northward to the Ochlockonee River, including the populated tampa bay.
Bradenton residents prepare sandbags to prevent flooding before the arrival of Hurricane Idalia (Photo: Archyde.com)
Additionally, parts of southwestern Florida, including the southernmost keys, are under a tropical storm warning.
Florida residents stocked up on sandy shorelines and evacuated low-lying homes along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Much of the west coast is at risk from storm surge and flooding. Pasco and Levy counties, located north of Tampa, ordered mandatory evacuations for some of their residents.
In Levy County, authorities said Cedar Key residents must leave the island no later than Tuesday night.
The authorities ask the population to prepare for the arrival of Idalia
The National Hurricane Center urged areas under warnings and watches to prepare “hastily” to protect life and property.
According to the trajectory predicted by meteorologists, Idalia will follow a continuous movement towards the north. It will pass near or over western Cuba tonight and will be over the southeastern tip of the Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday morning.
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Once in the Gulf, Idalia will accelerate, turn to the north-northeast and reach the northwest coast of Florida on Wednesday as a major hurricane, the second of the season.
Franklin, which is currently over the Atlantic near the Bermuda Islands, already has category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The sky over Havana darkens as Idalia approaches (Photo: AFP)
According to the specialists’ warning, the combination of the storm surge caused by Idalia plus the natural tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to flood and cause strong waves.
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The water level can rise to a maximum of 3.3 meters at some points on the west coast of Florida.
In Cuba, the water level will rise from 122 to 183 cm along the southern coast of Pinar del Río.
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