Hurricane Idalia could hit the west coast of Florida as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 this Wednesday. the National Hurricane Center warned as Idalia continued to intensify and move closer to the state on Tuesday evening.
Rapidly strengthening Idalia crossed the Gulf of Mexico and on Wednesday collided with the north coast of Florida’s Gulf of Mexico, where threatened catastrophic storm surge, tornadoes, and flooding across a wide area of Florida and other states.
The National Hurricane Center issued a warning. Idalia intensified as it moved through warmer waters off Florida’s upper west coast with 110 mph winds.
Faced with the threat, dozens of people locked their windows and doors, stocked up on supplies, and many more were evacuated to higher ground. Officials said 40 shelters have opened or are scheduled to open across the state, many of which cater for people with special needs and allow pets.
since yesterday morning Authorities have called for an immediate evacuation, and the executive director of Florida’s Office of Emergency ManagementKevin Guthrie repeated: “If you haven’t already evacuated, then you are north of Fort Myers, on the Central Gulf Coast, in the northern Big Bend area, you need to do it right now. You need to stop what you’re doing, you need to go to your room, pack your bags, pack your bags and get to safety.”
Idalia is expected to generate several tornadoes in northwest Florida and the Interstate 95 corridor in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia between Wednesday and Thursday. Hurricane-force winds are expected to extend up to 15 miles from central Idalia, which is forecast to move from Florida on Wednesday to the Carolina coast on Thursday, the center said.
Other hazards include the risk of urban and flash flooding in parts of Florida’s west coast and southern Georgia through Wednesday, with areas east of the Carolinas affected Wednesday through Thursday.
Source: La Opinion
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