Florida officials urge evacuations as Hurricane Ian barrels toward gulf coast: ‘Get out right now’
Officials are pleading with residents of some areas along the west coast of Florida to leave while they can as Hurricane Ian heads toward the state.
Mandatory evacuations were announced Monday in parts of Hillsborough, which includes Tampa, Manatee and Hernando counties with more expected on Tuesday.
The storm will approach the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane on Wednesday, according to forecasters.
“Do not wait. Time is of the essence. Act now,” Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise said. “We expect to have to evacuate over 300,000 people, and it will take some time, which is why we are starting now.”
In this NOAA handout image taken by the GOES satellite at 17:30 UTC shows Hurricane Ian as it moves toward western Cuba on September 26, 2022 in the Caribbean Sea. (Handout/)
Residents in low-lying areas in Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, are particularly at risk and should evacuate as soon as possible, officials said Monday. Formal evacuation orders are expected Tuesday.
“For all practical purposes, get out right now,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri details the plans for a possible evacuation order during a press conference regarding Hurricane Ian at the Pinellas County Emergency Operations Center, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022 in Largo, Fla. (MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE/)
Ian was moving northwest at 13 mph on Monday afternoon, just over 150 miles southeast of Cuba’s western tip. Sustained winds reached 100 mph.
No heavy damage was reported on the Cayman Islands Monday after Ian’s heaviest winds drifted westward and life appeared to go back to normal in the trio of islands. Grand Cayman resident Gary Hollins breathed a sigh of relief.
“We seem to have dodged the bullet,” Hollins told the Associated Press.
Hurricane Ian is expected to hit Florida.
The Tampa Bay area is already prepping for impact, with all schools in Hillsborough County closed through Thursday and Pinellas County schools closing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pasco County schools will also be shut down on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director Timothy Dudley urged Floridians to take the incoming storm seriously.
“It’s the real deal,” he warned at a Monday press conference. “This is not a drill.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had earlier told Floridians that there would be “pretty broad impacts throughout the state” even if residents weren’t necessarily in the direct path of the storm.
Lisa Bromfield and Mike Sernett work to place a sheet of plywood on the front windows of a store in downtown Gulfport in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Ian, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022 in South Pasadena, Fla. (MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE/)
Ian was expected to bring heavy rainfall, flash flooding and mudslides to Jamaica and Cuba, along with life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds in parts of western Cuba, where up to 8 inches of rain could fall, , according to the NHC.
The Florida Keys could see 4 to 6 inches and up to 15 inches of rain could drown central west Florida.
Tornadoes are possible across the Florida Keys and south and central Florida.
By the weekend, the southeast and mid-Atlantic will begin to see rain as well.
Shoppers go for what was left of the water on the shelves of the Walmart Supercenter in Tampa. (Matt Cohen/)
At its current projections, Ian would be the first major hurricane to hit Florida since 2018, when Michael made landfall in the Panhandle as a Category 5 storm. DeSantis warned his constituents could be facing a Category 4 hurricane this week. The National Hurricane Center clocked Ian as a Category 2 hurricane at 5 p.m. Monday.
Forecasters said Ian could see top winds of 140 mph as it gathers strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico en route to the Sunshine State.
Officials in Florida worried the storm seemed to be slowing, which could lead to a dangerous and steadily sustained downpour. In that scenario, waters become a larger concern than winds.
FEMA announced Saturday that President Biden had authorized the agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to “alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.”
With News Wire Services
