TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida on Saturday as Tropical Storm Ian gathered momentum over the Caribbean and was expected to become a major hurricane in the coming days. as she made her way to the state.
DeSantis originally issued the emergency order for two dozen counties on Friday. But he extended the warning statewide, urging residents to prepare for a storm it could hit large swathes of Florida.
“This storm has the potential to develop into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to be prepared,” DeSantis said in a statement. “We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to monitor the potential impacts of this storm.”
President Joe Biden too declared an emergency for the state, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance to protect lives and property. The president postponed a planned Sept. 27 trip to Florida due to the storm.
The National Hurricane Center said Ian is expected to strengthen before moving over western Cuba and into Florida’s west coast and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of next week. The agency said Floridians should have hurricane plans in place and advised residents to monitor updates of the evolutionary trajectory of the storm.
Ian was expected to become a hurricane on Sunday and a major hurricane by Monday evening. The storm had sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) on Saturday evening as it swirled about 395 miles (630 kilometers) southeast of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the island and hurricane watches were issued for western Cuba.
“Ian expects to begin to intensify rapidly,” the hurricane center reported.
John Cangialosi, senior hurricane specialist at the Miami-based center, said it’s not yet clear exactly where Ian will hit hardest in Florida. He said state residents should start preparing for the storm, including gathering supplies for possible power outages.
“Too early to tell if this will be a Southeast Florida or Central Florida problem or just statewide,” he said. “So at this point, the right message for those living in Florida is that you need to watch the forecast and be prepared and prepared for the potential impact of this tropical system.”
In Pinellas Park, near Tampa, people lined up at a Home Depot when it opened at 6 a.m., the Tampa Bay Times reported. Manager Wendy Macrini said the store had sold 600 cases of water by early afternoon and there were no more generators.
People were also buying plywood to cover their windows: “Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it,” Matt Beaver of Pinellas Park told The Times.
The governor’s statement releases emergency protection funding and activates members of the Florida National Guard, his office said. His order emphasizes that there is a risk of storm surge, flooding, dangerous winds and other weather conditions throughout the state.
Elsewhere, powerful post-tropical cyclone Fiona crashed ashore early Saturday in Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada. The storm swept homes into the sea, ripped roofs off others and knocked out power in the vast majority of Canada’s two provinces, with more than 500,000 customers affected at the height of the storm.
Fiona had gone from a hurricane to a post-tropical storm Friday night, but there were still hurricane-force winds and torrential rains and huge waves. There have been no confirmed deaths or injuries.
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Associated Press writer Julie Walker contributed to this report from New York.
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