In the morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that Ian could land as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
On Wednesday, September 28, Florida eagerly awaited the arrival of Category 4 hurricane Ian, which is “intensifying rapidly” and, according to the American Meteorological Service, could lead to “catastrophic” consequences after devastating western Cuba would have. Ian is expected to cause “catastrophic flooding, storms and flooding across the Florida Peninsula,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.
With persistent wind speeds of up to 250 km/h and even “stronger” gusts, Ian is heading for the west coast of Florida, where he is expected in the early afternoon local time. The hurricane is then expected to “move inland” during the day and “appear over the western Atlantic by Thursday evening.”
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According to the NHC, between 30 and 45 cm of precipitation is expected in central and northeast Florida, with up to 60 cm in some places. The phenomenon of submersion in the sea could also reach more than five meters on the coasts. “This is a storm that will be talked about for years to come,” NWS Director Ken Graham said at a news conference, referring to a “historic event.”
“Very powerful”
In the morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that Ian could land as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale. “Clearly, this is a very strong hurricane that will have far-reaching consequences,” he said. Evacuation orders were issued overnight for a dozen coastal counties. The director of Fema (the federal agency responsible for natural disaster management) reiterated that Ian will continue to be a “very dangerous” storm for “the coming days”.
A U.S. Postal Service mailbox is dry packed as Hurricane I approaches the Florida Gulf Coast in Sarasota, Florida, U.S. September 28, 2022. STEVE NESIUS/ Portal
Authorities are “preparing for the historic and catastrophic impact that we are already beginning to see” although Ian has yet to land, Deanne Crisswell told a news conference. In Port Charlotte, a city of about 64,000 on Florida’s west coast, dozens of motorists continued to roam the streets Wednesday morning despite rain and strong winds, an AFP journalist noted. As a result of the onset of the storm, the sea has retreated into the estuary near Charlotte Harbor and several small boats are stranded.
“Fear”
On Tuesday, Joe Biden also warned that Ian “could be a very severe hurricane, the effects of which would be devastating and endanger life.” “Obviously, the closer he gets, the greater the fear of the unknown,” observed Chelsea Thompson, 30, who helped her parents secure their home in an evacuation zone southwest of Tampa on Tuesday. According to poweroutage.us, as of 11:25 a.m. (5:25 p.m.) in Florida, more than 270,000 homes were already without power.
Shelves at the Aldis grocery store in Titusville, Florida lie empty September 28, 2022 as the east coast of central Florida prepares for Hurricane Ian. JIM WATSON/AFP
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Ahead of Ian’s arrival, Tampa Airport suspended operations late Tuesday afternoon, while Orlando did the same at 10:30 a.m. (4:30 p.m.) Wednesday. According to the Pentagon, 3,000 members of the National Guard are mobilized in Florida, with another 1,800 on the way. NASA had given up Tuesday’s planned launch of its new mega rocket to the moon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
rapid escalation
Hurricane Ian, then still Category 3, hit Cuba earlier on Tuesday, devastating the west of the country for five hours before heading toward the Gulf of Mexico, according to Cuba’s Insmet meteorological institute. According to Cuban state media, two people were killed in the western province of Pinar del Rio. The island and its 11.2 million inhabitants are completely immersed in darkness. As the sea surface warms, the frequency of the strongest hurricanes with stronger winds and greater precipitation increases, but not the total number of hurricanes.
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Deputies block access to a downtown bridge leading to barrier islands as Hurricane Ian approaches the Florida Gulf Coast in Sarasota, Florida, United States, September 28, 2022. STEVE NESIUS / Portal
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According to Gary Lackmann, a professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University in the United States, several studies have shown a “possible link” between climate change and a phenomenon known as “rapid intensification” — when a relatively weak tropical storm becomes stronger becomes a Category 3 or higher hurricane within 24 hours, as was the case with Ian. “A consensus remains that there will be fewer storms in the future, but that the biggest ones will be more violent,” the scientist told AFP.
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