2023-08-30 22:06:20
Florida is facing extensive flooding this Wednesday after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, now a tropical storm. In its wake, it uprooted trees and power lines before slamming into the state of Georgia.
Idalia, downgraded to a tropical storm, made landfall at 07:45 local time near Keaton Beach, Florida, as a category 3 hurricane (of a maximum of 5), with winds of up to 205 km/h, according to the National Center United States Hurricanes.
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The natural phenomenon caused a rapid rise in the water level in some locations on the west coast of Florida, although there are no confirmed victims, Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference. In the area there are more than 250,000 houses without electricity.
In Perry dozens of trees were felled. As municipal workers tried to clear the streets, local residents surveyed the damage.
In Steinhatchee, a small town of about 1,000 people located on the coast 30 km south of Keaton Beach, the main street was completely flooded and seemed like an extension of the nearby river.
The National Guard was deployed in the areas affected by Hurricane Idalia
After breaking into the coast, Idalia continued up the state towards Georgia and the Carolinas.
The governor said that the National Guard was deployed in Taylor County, one of the most affected, and that they are carrying out tasks of clearing debris and clearing roads.
A vehicle was semi-submerged in Cedar Key, Florida (Photo: Archyde.com) By: REUTERS
On the southeast coast of Florida, Idalia caused a rapid rise in the water level.
In Cedar Key, on the coast, waves of more than 2 meters were registered, a record level for the area. In Clearwater and Tampa the streets and ports were also flooded.
“Idalia is an unprecedented event”
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee said Idalia was “an unprecedented event” as there are no records of a major hurricane ever passing through Big Bend Bay before.
The commercial zone that will be struck by the hurricane was closed and defenses were placed in all the openings. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)By: REUTERS
DeSantis urged residents of low-lying communities to heed orders to take shelter on higher ground.
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Despite the damage, authorities appear to believe the worst has been avoided. “We have been forgiven and blessed,” Levy County Sheriff Robert McCallum said.
Some of the affected areas “had never been hit by a major hurricane,” Governor DeSantis explained.
President Joe Biden, who met again this Wednesday with DeSantis, also a candidate for the presidency in 2024, warned the population to “stay vigilant” as the storm continued to advance through the southeast. “Some 1,500 federal employees have been deployed on the ground in the affected areas,” said Deanne Criswell, head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Idalia made landfall in Florida as a category three hurricane. (Photo: Twitter/@NHC_Atlantic).
They evacuated the energy platforms installed in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico power producers were also taking precautions. US oil company Chevron evacuated personnel from three oil production platforms, while Kinder Morgan planned to shut down an oil pipeline.
Idalia-related disturbances spread to Florida’s Atlantic coast at Cape Canaveral, where a scheduled rocket launch carrying a US Space Force intelligence satellite was delayed indefinitely due to the hurricane on Tuesday.
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Bradenton residents prepare sandbags to prevent flooding before the arrival of Hurricane Idalia (Photo: Archyde.com)
Idalia went from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Tuesday, a day after passing west of Cuba, where it damaged homes, flooded towns and left more than 200,000 people without electricity.
Nearly 150 people were killed last year when Hurricane Ian battered the west coast of Florida as a devastating Category 4 storm, unleashing storm surges and strong winds that toppled bridges, flattened buildings and caused more than $100 billion worth of damage.
Scientists warn that the storms will become increasingly powerful as the planet warms due to climate change.
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