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Hurricane Idalia strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday as it headed towards Florida’s Gulf Coast, forcing evacuations in low-lying coastal areas, while South Carolina went into a state of emergency.
Idalia grew from a tropical storm into a hurricane early on Tuesday, a day after passing west of Cuba, where it damaged homes and flooded villages.
Idalia expected to make landfall early Wednesday
By early Tuesday afternoon, the storm was already some 240 miles (390 kilometers) southwest of Tampa as it moved northward.
Forecasters predict the weather system will come ashore early on Wednesday morning with winds of at least 111 miles per hour (179 kilometers per hour).
Idalia is in line to become the fourth major hurricane to hit Florida in the last seven years, after Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018 and Ian, which peaked at Category 5, in September 2022.
Meanwhile, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has issued a state of emergency, as a measure to help residents ward off the impact of Idalia.
Most of Florida’s residents, numbering more than 20 million, along with many in Georgia and South Carolina, were under hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings and advisories. A state emergency has also been declared in Florida.
US President Joe Biden said he and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who is in the running to be the Republican candidate for president in 2024— were “in constant contact.”
Biden added that he had assured DeSantis that federal disaster assistance would remain in place for as “long as it takes, and we’ll make sure they have everything they need.”
jsi/kb (AP, Reuters)
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