2023-08-29 18:05:18
An old American car drives through a flooded street in Havana, on August 29, 2023, during the passage of Tropical Storm Idalia. – Tropical storm Idalia strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday and forecasters predict it will become “extremely dangerous” before making landfall on Wednesday in Florida, United States. (Photo by Yamil LAGE / AFP)
The state of Florida ordered the evacuation of residents of its west coast on Tuesday before the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, which could become “extremely dangerous” before making landfall on Wednesday, according to US authorities.
Idalia, which became a Category 1 hurricane overnight according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), was located hundreds of kilometers from southwest Florida on Tuesday morning and left tropical storm conditions west of Cuba.
In Steinhatchee, one of the small towns that dot North Florida, Robert Bryant was finalizing preparations to leave with his two cats and his dog inland.
“We are in the water, so we will be the most affected,” said the 18-year-old student, whose house built on stilts sits near the mouth of a river.
“Hopefully, it will just pass and we will have a little wind (…) But one prepares for the worst and hopes for the best.”
Warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, nearing 31 degrees Celsius, are forecast to turn Idalia into a “dangerous high intensity hurricane before landfall on Wednesday,” the NHC reported.
High-intensity hurricanes are typically Category 3 or higher on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, and according to the NHC they can cause “devastating” and “catastrophic” damage.
At 3:00 p.m. GMT, Idalia was located about 440 kilometers south-southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour, according to the NHC bulletin.
– State of emergency –
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor and presidential candidate, declared a state of emergency in 46 counties Monday and announced evacuations in parts of the West.
“This is going to be a powerful hurricane and it is going to affect the state of Florida in many different ways for sure. So please pay attention to the guidelines of your local authorities,” DeSantis said at a press conference.
US President Joe Biden spoke with DeSantis on Monday morning and approved an emergency declaration for Florida, which guarantees federal aid to deal with the Idalia crossing.
Flooding could affect parts of South Carolina between Wednesday and Thursday.
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is preparing for the impact of the storm, including the deployment of part of its personnel, according to the White House.
– Evacuations in Cuba –
Idalia provoked thousands of evacuations Monday in the westernmost provinces of Cuba.
Civil Defense declared the Cyclonic Alarm Phase for the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa and Isla de la Juventud, in the west of the country, while the rains also cover the neighboring province of Mayabeque. Havana is on alert.
The railway service suspended departures in Pinar del Río and maritime passenger transport was interrupted on Sunday from the Isla de la Juventud, local media reported.
Idalia formed on Sunday in the Caribbean, near southeastern Mexico.
The formation of the storm altered the climate of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun and other resorts of the Riviera Maya are located, generating rain and cloudiness that frustrated tourist planes on the last weekend of the summer vacation.
Scientists warn that the storms will become increasingly powerful as the planet warms due to climate change.
In 2022, the powerful Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Cuba as a category 3 hurricane, left at least two dead, before heading to Florida, where it reached the force of a category 5 hurricane and caused 150 deaths.
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© Agencia France-Presse
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