Hurricane Ian: Florida warned to brace for ‘major disaster’
Florida’s governor has warned the state to brace for a potential “major disaster” as category two Hurricane Ian gathers force in the Caribbean.
Strong winds began hitting Cuba’s south coast on Monday night. Ian is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast sometime on Wednesday.
The hurricane’s exact path is uncertain but Governor Ron DeSantis warned of “broad impacts throughout the state”.
Residents have been stocking up on food, water, medicine, and fuel.
Some parts of the state have not seen a hurricane of this magnitude in about a century.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said it expects “rapid strengthening” from Ian over the next 48 hours as it inches north from its current location 130 west of Cuba.
“This is a really big hurricane at this point,” Florida’s governor said at a Monday news conference, urging residents to “remain calm”, but “do what you need to be prepared”.
The governor declared a state of emergency for all of Florida over the weekend and has activated 5,000 National Guard troops to assist with relief efforts.
Agencies