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| Photo Credit: AP. |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities and residents in Florida were keeping a cautious eye on Tropical Storm Ian as it rumbled ominously through the Caribbean on Sunday, likely to become a major hurricane on its path toward the state.
Gov. Ron
DeSantis has declared a state of emergency throughout Florida and urged
residents to prepare for the storm to lash large swaths of the state with heavy
rains, high winds and rising seas.
Forecasters
are still unsure of exactly where Ian could make landfall, with current models
plotting it toward Florida’s west coast or panhandle regions, he said.
“We’re going
to keep monitoring the track of this storm. But it really is important to
stress the degree of uncertainty that still exists,” DeSantis said at a news
conference Sunday, cautioning that “even if you’re not necessarily right in the
eye of the path of the storm, there’s going to be pretty broad impacts
throughout the state.”
The National
Hurricane Center said Ian is expected to become a hurricane by early Monday and
reach major hurricane strength Monday night or early Tuesday before it reaches
western Cuba.
Flash and
urban flooding is possible in the Florida Keys and Florida peninsula through
midweek, and then heavy rainfall was possible for north Florida, the Florida
panhandle and the southeast United States later this week. The agency advised
Floridians to have hurricane plans in place and monitor updates of the storm’s
evolving path.
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 have met to plan for the storm’s arrival and
prepare for evacuations, though none had been ordered as of Sunday. The track
forecast by the National Hurricane Center shows a major storm striking the
far-western part of the island early Tuesday, close to the country’s most famed
tobacco fields.
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 scheduled Sept. 27 trip to Florida because of the storm.
John
Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the Miami-based center, said in an
interview Sunday that it is not clear exactly where Ian will hit hardest in
Florida. Residents should begin preparations, including gathering supplies for
potential power outages, he said.
“It’s a hard thing to say stay tuned, but
that’s the right message right now,” Cangialosi said “But for those in Florida,
it’s still time to prepare. I’m not telling you to put up your shutters yet or
do anything like that, but it’s still time to get your supplies.”
Local media
in Florida have reported a consumer rush on water, generators and other supplies
in some areas where residents moved to stock up on goods ahead of the storm.
Kevin
Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said the
state has begun loading trailers with more than 2 million meals and more than 1
million gallons of water to be ready to be sent into impacted areas. He said
the state has had frequent communication with local governments and is
processing requests for resources.
Georgia Gov.
Brian Kemp on Sunday moved to activate the State Operations Center to respond
to any potential storm damage. He told residents to monitor the weather and
calmly take precautions if necessary.
At the
Kennedy Space Center, NASA kept close watch on Ian’s projected path while
debating whether to move its new moon rocket off the launch pad and into
shelter. Managers already have bumped the test flight from this week to next
because of the storm.
Elsewhere,
powerful post-tropical cyclone Fiona crashed ashore Saturday in Nova Scotia in
the Atlantic Canada region, washing houses into the sea, tearing off rooftops
and knocking out power to more than 500,000 customers in two provinces.
Associated
Press writer Julie Walker contributed to this report from New York.