2023-08-30 04:14:50
World Events Florida
“You really have to go now” – Ron DeSantis urgently warns citizens of hurricane
Status: 06:14 | Reading time: 3 minutes
This satellite image from Tuesday shows the hurricane making its way to Florida
What: AP
Hurricane Idalia is heading towards Florida with wind speeds of up to 155 kilometers per hour. Governor Ron DeSantis urges citizens to get to safety. The storm might hit the coast on Wednesday.
Hurricane Idalia has gained strength and is heading towards the US state of Florida. Persistent wind speeds of up to 155 kilometers per hour were measured, said the US Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami on Tuesday evening (local time). That’s equivalent to a category two (out of five) hurricane. “Idalia” is expected to cause life-threatening flooding on parts of Florida’s west coast, such as in the Big Bend region south of Tallahassee. On Wednesday morning (local time), “Idalia” might hit the west coast of the state as a category three hurricane. Numerous precautions have been taken in Florida.
In 28 districts, residents were asked to leave their homes and get to safety from “Idalia”. The state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, urged people on Tuesday to follow the instructions of the authorities.
“If you choose to stay in one of the evacuation zones, rescue workers will not be able to reach you until the storm has passed,” he warned on Tuesday evening (local time). “You really have to go now.” There’s no need to drive hundreds of miles, he said. It is often enough to move regarding ten kilometers out of the predicted path of the storm.
The effects of the hurricane were already being felt on the Florida island of Key West on Tuesday
Quelle: AP/Rob O’Neal
The head of the national civil protection agency FEMA, Deanne Criswell, said at a press conference in the White House that emergency teams are available not only in Florida but also in the states of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, which can be deployed to the hardest-hit areas immediately following the storm subsides would be sent.
They are also prepared to provide food, water, blankets and medicines to people in the affected areas. She described the expected storm surges as one of the greatest risks of the hurricane, which might quickly become fatal.
Many schools in Florida remained closed
US President Joe Biden pledged full support to the state. National Guard members stood by for any rescue efforts. The airport in Tampa temporarily suspended flight operations. Many schools in Florida remained closed.
Heavy rains and storms are also expected in the interior and on the east coast of Florida. Hurricane Ian caused massive damage in the state last fall, killing more than a hundred people. At that time, the center of the storm was a little further south and in a more densely populated area than now expected.
“Idalia” has been causing heavy rain and strong winds in western Cuba since Monday, which were also felt in the capital Havana. There were power outages there, as well as in the more severely affected parts of the Caribbean state. There were floods in the province of Pinar del Río, known for tobacco cultivation, and on the Cuban island of Isla de la Juventud, the state news agency ACN reported on Tuesday. Some communities were cut off from the outside world and hundreds of people were brought to safety. Hurricane Ian also caused severe damage to Pinar del Río.
also read
Tropical cyclone season lasts from June to November in the Atlantic. There is talk of a hurricane from sustained wind speeds of 119 kilometers per hour. According to experts, climate change is increasing the likelihood of strong storms.
The strength of hurricanes is measured according to a scale developed by meteorologists Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson: A Category 1 hurricane reaches up to 153 kilometers per hour. Stage 2 applies to Tempo 177, Stage 3 to 208 and Stage 4 to 251. Devastating damage threatens a hurricane in the highest category 5, which rotates with a wind speed of more than 251 kilometers per hour.
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