Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Cuba, Florida braces for impact

Hurricane Ian slammed into western Cuba early Tuesday, and authorities warned it was strengthening as it headed to the US state of Florida.

The Category 3 hurricane packed a punch with winds of up to 130 miles (208 kilometers) per hour recorded at San Juan y Martinez, a small town on Cuba’s southwest coast.

Authorities in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province evacuated 50,000 people ahead of the storm. Some 6000 evacuees were staying in state run-shelters.

It left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity and swamped fishing villages as it tracked northward toward Florida.

State-run media said 33,000 tonnes of tobacco from prior harvests in Pinar del Rio had been secured ahead of the storm.

Rain and winds buffeted the capital Havana, but the city was spared the brunt of Ian’s impact.

Florida bracing for impact

The US National Hurricane Center expected it to strengthen to a Category 4 storm before hitting Florida late on Tuesday. That could mean top winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour.

US President Joe Biden’s administration declared a public health emergency for the state in anticipation of the storm’s arrival.

“This is a really, really big hurricane,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned, saying he expected damage across the state.

He also warned people to prepare for power cuts.

“Even if the eye of the storm doesn’t hit your region, you’re going to have really significant winds, it’s going to knock over trees, it’s going to cause interruptions,” DeSantis said, warning of likely flooding.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told people to prepare for major damage accross the state

The governor urged residents to stock up on food, water, medicine and fuel, and he called up 7,000 National Guard members to help with the effort.

NASA said it was rolling back its massive Moon rocket into its storage hangar at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida due to the hurricane.

lo/ (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/hurricane-ian-makes-landfall-in-cuba-florida-braces-for-impact/a-63255867?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf