Hurricane Idalia: Evacuation orders issued for 21 Florida counties as it prepares for a once-in-a-century storm — as Ron DeSantis tells residents to leave
- Hurricane Idalia is expected to develop into a Category 3 storm with winds of 130 hours per hour
- The hurricane is accelerating and is expected to make landfall early Wednesday morning
- Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to leave their homes as 21 counties are hit by evacuation orders
Evacuation orders have been issued for 21 Florida counties as the Sunshine State prepares for its strongest storm in a century.
Hurricane Idalia is rapidly strengthening and is expected to intensify into a Category 3 storm upon landfall on Wednesday with winds of 130 hours per hour.
Dangerous, life-threatening storm surges, hurricane-force winds and heavy rains are all expected along parts of Florida’s west coast as early as Tuesday.
Parts of South Georgia and North and South Carolina are expected to experience significant impact from the hurricane on Wednesday.
Florida residents left shelves empty as panic buying flooded the state after Governor Ron DeSantis warned them to flee their homes.
TAMPA: Supermarkets in Tampa have been raided by residents after it was announced that Idalia would become a major hurricane
The hurricane is currently moving at a speed of 22 km/h over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that there will be a “life-threatening storm surge” of 8 to 12 feet high over Tampa Bay and Florida’s Big Bend region.
Peak levels of the surge are expected to occur between Chassahowitzka and the Aucilla River, with residents advised to follow advice from local officials.
Hurricane conditions are expected along the Gulf Coast, with a chance of destructive winds once Idalia makes landfall.
Heavy rain and possible flash flooding are expected in parts of western Cuba, with landslides.
In a statement Tuesday morning, the NHC said, “Idalia is strengthening as it moves northward across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
Life-threatening storm surges are in danger along parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“Heavy rainfall has the potential to cause flash and urban flooding in parts of Florida’s west coast, the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia.”
NAPLES: Collier County employees fill sandbags for residents as they brace for Wednesday’s attack on Idalia
Hurricane Idalia is rapidly strengthening and is expected to intensify into a Category 3 storm upon landfall Wednesday with winds of 130 hours per hour.
FORT MYERS: Local residents fill gas tanks at a Race Trac after 21 Florida counties issued evacuation warnings
The National Hurricane Center has warned there will be a “life-threatening storm surge” of 8 to 12 feet high over Tampa Bay and Florida’s Big Bend region.
TAMPA: Hillsborough County residents gather sandbags as they prepare for Hurricane Idalia’s landfall
As of 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, Idalia was 80 miles north of the western tip of Cuba and 375 miles southwest of Tampa.
The storm is moving with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, 1.2 miles per hour more than the speed needed to classify the storm as a hurricane.
DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 46 counties ahead of the storm, and the state mobilized 1,100 National Guard members.
Hurricane Franklin, a major Category 4 hurricane, is expected to move up the East Coast and pass over Bermuda on Wednesday and begin weakening Tuesday afternoon.
It sent life-threatening fires and currents along the southeast coast of the US on Tuesday, with sustained winds of 140 mph, but not expected to do as much damage as Idalia.
Coastal areas in Cape Sable and the Florida Keys have also been warned to see storm surges as high as two feet above ground level as Idalia approaches.