in update
Hurricane Ian hit Cayo Costa at 8:05 p.m. this Wednesday (in mainland Portugal, 3:05 p.m. in Florida, USA)
According to The Washington Post, the Hurricane will be close to reaching category 5, the highest score on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Forecasters are warning of “extremely dangerous” rain and winds in the coming hours along Florida’s southwest coast.
In the past 30 years, only two Category 5 storms have hit the United States, both in Florida. Thus, according to The New York Times, Hurricane Ian is becoming one of the most powerful to threaten the US in decades.
Florida’s governor warned Wednesday that this is a “big, big storm” and that the hurricane “will have far-reaching consequences.” Ron DeSantis also took advantage of the instructions by thanks to the 26 states that have already sent aid.
Warning and evacuation orders were issued overnight to residents of Florida’s coastal counties. However, Ron DeSantis said it was too late to evacuate the population of Collier, Lee, Sarasota and Charlotte, places where the “most powerful” part of the hurricane is approaching.
governor of florida ron desantis declared a state of emergency and mobilized 5,000 state National Guard soldierswith another two thousand on standby in neighboring states.
US President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property.
The hurricane, which devastated western Cuba, has not yet claimed lives. Ian’s passage had left millions of inhabitants without electricity due to a “failure”, but the light on the island was, in the meantime, partially restored.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Cuba had suffered “significant impacts” from storm surge and sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour. EITHER NHC also revealed that it expects Hurricane Ian to gain even more strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before arriving this Wednesday, with winds of 209 kilometers per hour, in Florida.
NASA decided to move the moon rocket from the launch pad to the hangar at the Kennedy Space Center, adding weeks to the delay to the test flight.
Source: Observadora
