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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida authorities and residents were keeping a cautious eye out for Tropical Storm Ian as it rumbled ominously across the Caribbean on Sunday, potentially becoming a major hurricane on its way to the state.
Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency across Florida and urged residents to prepare for the storm to hit large swaths of the state with heavy rain, high winds and rising seas.
Forecasters still don’t know exactly where Ian could make landfall, with current models plotting it toward Florida’s west coast or begging areas, he said.
“We will continue to monitor the path of this storm, but it’s really important to highlight the degree of uncertainty that still exists,” DeSantis said at a press conference on Sunday, warning that “even if you are not not necessarily in the true eye of the storm’s path, there’s going to be pretty broad impacts across the state.
The National Hurricane Center said the tropical storm is expected to develop into a hurricane late Sunday or early Monday and eventually become a major hurricane before reaching western Cuba.
Luis Santana/AP
Flash and urban flooding are possible in the Florida Keys and the Florida Peninsula through mid-week, then heavy rains were possible for northern Florida, Florida and the southeastern United States later this week. The agency advised Floridians to put hurricane plans in place and watch for updates on the changing path of the storm.
President Joe Biden also declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. . The president postponed a planned Sept. 27 trip to Florida due to the storm.
A hurricane warning was in effect Sunday for Grand Cayman and the Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio and Artemisa.
Cuban state media said emergency authorities met to plan for the storm’s arrival and prepare for evacuations, though none were ordered on Sunday. The track forecast by the National Hurricane Center shows a major storm hitting the far western part of the island early Tuesday, near the country’s most famous tobacco fields.
John Cangialosi, senior hurricane specialist at the Miami-based center, said in an interview Sunday that it was unclear exactly where Ian would hit hardest in Florida. Residents should begin preparations, including collecting supplies for potential power outages, he said.
Matt Cohen/AP
“It’s a hard thing to say, stay tuned, but it’s the right message right now,” Cangialosi said. “But for those in Florida, there’s still time to get ready. I’m not telling you to put your shutters up or do anything like that yet, but there’s still time to stock up.”
Local Florida media reported a rush for water, generators and other supplies in some areas where residents traveled to stock up on supplies ahead of the storm.
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said the state began loading trailers with more than 2 million meals and more than 1 million gallons of water to be ready to be sent to areas. affected. He said the state has had frequent communication with local governments and is processing requests for resources.
At Kennedy Space Center, NASA kept a close eye on Ian’s projected trajectory while debating whether to move its new moon rocket off the launch pad and into cover. Officials have already postponed the test flight from this week to the next because of the storm.
Elsewhere, powerful post-tropical cyclone Fiona slammed into Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada on Saturday, washing homes into the sea, ripping roofs off and knocking out power to more than 500,000 customers in two provinces.