US Hurricane Ian lashes Cuba, aims at Florida as possible Cat 4

HAVANA (AP) — A strengthening Hurricane Ian’s rain and winds lashed Cuba’s western tip, where authorities have evacuated 50,000 people, as it roared on a path that could see it hit Florida’s west coast as a Category 4 hurricane.

© Provided by Associated Press Workers remove a boat from the water in the bay of Havana, Cuba, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/Milexsy Duran)

© Provided by Associated Press Waves kick up under a dark sky along the shore of Batabano, Cuba, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Hurricane Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Officials in Cuba's Pinar del Rio province set up 55 shelters, rushed in emergency personnel and took steps to protect crops in Cuba’s main tobacco-growing region ahead of Ian's expected landfall early Tuesday as a major hurricane. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the island’s west coast could see as much as 14 feet (4.3 meters) of storm surge.

Text-only live updates: Hurricane Ian one of strongest storms in U.S. history; 1.6M in Florida without power; 911 callers stranded in homes

Hurricane Ian weakened to a Category 3 storm as it lashed Florida with 125 mph winds. More than 1.1 million reported power outages. Live updates.Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida's southwestern coast Wednesday as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history, tearing apart homes and buildings and leaving some residents stranded as storm surge flooded communities.

© Provided by Associated Press As Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, shopping carts are left abandoned next to empty shelves that stock bottled water at a supermarket Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“Cuba is expecting extreme hurricane-force winds, also life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall,” hurricane center senior specialist Daniel Brown told The Associated Press.

After passing over Cuba, Ian was forecast to strengthen further over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before reaching Florida as early as Wednesday as a Category 4 storm with top winds of 140 mph (225 km/h).

1.5 million in Florida lose power as Hurricane Ian barrels through the state

What category storm is Hurricane Ian now? How much flooding is in Florida from Hurricane Ian? What will the damage be in Florida after Hurricane Ian?In Fort Myers, a weather station “recorded a water level seven feet higher than the average height of the highest daily tides,” The New York Times reported with information from the National Hurricane Center.

As of Monday, Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be the among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.

“Please treat this storm seriously. It’s the real deal. This is not a drill,” Hillsborough County Emergency Management Director Timothy Dudley said Monday at a news conference on storm preparations in Tampa.

In Havana on Monday, fishermen were taking their boats out of the water along the famous Malecon seaside boulevard, and city workers were unclogging storm drains ahead of the expected rain.

Havana resident Adyz Ladron said the potential for rising water from the storm worries him.

“I am very scared because my house gets completely flooded, with water up to here,” he said, pointing to his chest.

© Provided by Associated Press Johnny Ford, right, and his wife Jerria Ford fill free sand bags at an Orange County park in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Ian, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

In Havana’s El Fanguito, a poor neighborhood near the Almendares River, residents were packing up what they could to leave their homes.

Tropical Storm Ian still pounding Florida in '500-year flooding event'; 2.6M without power: Live updates

A section of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed into San Carlos Bay, cutting off access to the barrier island. Tropical Storm Ian updates.The death toll was rising and residents desperately sought rescue Thursday as historically powerful Hurricane Ian, now a tropical storm, hammered Florida with heavy rain and strong winds, one of the strongest systems in U.S. history.

“I hope we escape this one because it would be the end of us. We already have so little,” health worker Abel Rodrigues said.

© Provided by Associated Press Waves crash against a seawall as Hurricane Ian passes through George Town, Grand Cayman island, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Kevin Morales)

On Monday night, Ian was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 km/h), about 105 miles (170 kilometers) east-southeast of the western tip of Cuba, with top sustained winds increasing to 105 mph (165 km/h).

© Provided by Associated Press Jesus Rodrigues loads wood in his vehicle outside a Home Depot store in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Ian, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Ian won't linger over Cuba but will slow down over the Gulf of Mexico, growing wider and stronger, "which will have the potential to produce significant wind and storm surge impacts along the west coast of Florida,” the hurricane center said.

Hurricane Ian veers toward Carolinas after pummeling Florida

Hurricane Ian veers toward Carolinas after pummeling FloridaFORT MYERS, Fla. (Reuters) - A resurgent Hurricane Ian barreled north on Friday toward a second landfall in South Carolina, a day after carving a path of destruction across central Florida that left rescue crews racing to reach trapped residents along the state's Gulf Coast.

A surge of up to 10 feet (3 meters) of ocean water and 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain was predicted across the Tampa Bay area, with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) inches in isolated areas. That's enough water to inundate coastal communities.

As many as 300,000 people may be evacuated from low-lying areas in Hillsborough County alone, county administrator Bonnie Wise said. Some of those evacuations were beginning Monday afternoon in the most vulnerable areas, with schools and other locations opening as shelters.

“We must do everything we can to protect our residents. Time is of the essence,” Wise said.

Floridians lined up for hours in Tampa to collect bags of sand and cleared store shelves of bottled water. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a statewide emergency and warned that Ian could lash large areas of the state, knocking out power and interrupting fuel supplies as it swirls northward off the state’s Gulf Coast.

© Provided by Associated Press A resident of El Fanguito neighborhood carries a mattress in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Ian, in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Hurricane Ian is growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

“You have a significant storm that may end up being a Category 4 hurricane," DeSantis said at a news conference. "That’s going to cause a huge amount of storm surge. You’re going to have flood events. You’re going to have a lot of different impacts.”

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DeSantis said the state has suspended tolls around the Tampa Bay area and mobilized 5,000 Florida state national guard troops, with another 2,000 on standby in neighboring states.

President Joe Biden also declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. The president postponed a scheduled Tuesday trip to Florida because of the storm.

Playing it safe, NASA planned to slowly roll its moon rocket from the launch pad to its Kennedy Space Center hangar, adding weeks of delay to the test flight.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Monday night that the football team was relocating football operations to the Miami area in preparation for next weekend’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Buccaneers said the team will leave Tampa on Tuesday.

© Provided by Associated Press Residents of Orange County fill sand bags at Baldwin Park to protect their homes in preparation of Hurricane Ian, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Ian was growing stronger as it approached the western tip of Cuba on a track to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane as early as Wednesday. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Flash flooding was predicted for much of the Florida peninsula, and heavy rainfall was possible for the southeast United States later this week. With tropical storm force winds extending 115 miles (185 kilometers) from Ian's center, watches covered the Florida Keys to Lake Okeechobee.

South Carolina braces for deadly Hurricane Ian to make landfall within HOURS bringing 85mph winds

Scores of residents in Charleston, watching the devastation that Hurricane Ian brought to Florida on television, have fled the city in a steady stream of vehicles and are heading for higher ground. Hurricane Ian, now a Category 1 storm with 85mph sustained winds, is expected to hit the low-lying city at about 2pm ET today, bringing with it 'life-threatening' storm surges and floods, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest update.

© Provided by Associated Press Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, speaks as he stands with Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, during a news conference, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Largo, Fla. DeSantis was keeping residents updated on the track of Hurricane Ian. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Associated Press contributors include Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida, Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida, and Julie Walker in New York.