The Governor of Florida (United States), Ron DeSantis, extended this Saturday the state of emergency to the entirety of that territory due to the forecast that tropical storm Ian will hit, turned into a major hurricane, the coast of this state in the southeastern United States. DeSantis issued a memorandum justifying the action in the face of the threat posed by Tropical Storm Ian, which states, “requires timely precautions to be taken to protect Florida’s communities, infrastructure and general well-being.”
FOLLOW THE TRACK OF STORM IAN LIVE:
The extension of the state of emergency comes after this Friday the official declared it to 24 of the 67 counties that the state has in the face of the threat of a potential major hurricane.
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“This declaration will make important resources and support available, as well as free up funding sources for emergency protective measures,” the governor said.
“Under this emergency order, members of the Florida National Guard will be activated and awaiting orders,” he added.
The bulletin of US National Hurricane Center (NHC) At 4:00 p.m. GMT, it reports that Ian’s maximum sustained winds reach 45 miles per hour (75 km/h), with stronger gusts, but that a strengthening is expected in the coming hours.
On the forecast track, the center of Ian is expected to pass southwest of Jamaica on Sunday and near the Cayman Islands on Sunday night and early Monday.
Ian will approach the west of Cuba on Monday night before moving over southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.
They prepare shelters in Jamaica
The government of Jamaica is preparing this Saturday for the potential impact of Tropical Storm Ian with 900 shelters prepared across the island as it is forecast to hit southwestern Jamaica on Sunday.
Jamaican Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) began operating 24 hours a day from Friday, “and the 900 shelters and their administrators across the island are on alert.”
“We haven’t declared any alerts yet as far as opening our shelters, but once they’ve given us the indication that we have to go to another level, then we will,” McKenzie said.
The minister advised the population not to try to cross the flood-prone areas. “We have seen that there are people who try to do it and have lost their lives, let’s be careful with what we do,” he warned.
Likewise, he reported that the Government enabled means of transport to mobilize citizens who are in areas prone to flooding and need to be transferred to designated shelters once the evacuation notice is given.
“I am urging (residents) that when the transport arrives, make sure to use it because we are not willing to put the lives of our emergency personnel at risk,” he stressed, adding that “whatever is lost, once save your life, you can work to get it back.”
Ian it is located 300 miles (485 km) from the Jamaican capital, Kingston, and 570 miles (915 km) from the Cayman Islands and is moving west-southwest at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h).
The NHC forecast for this Saturday is for the center of Ian to move through the central Caribbean Sea, pass southwest of Jamaica on Sunday and near or over the Cayman Islands on Sunday night and early Monday.