Hurricane Ian strengthens as Cuba and Florida brace for impact
Hurricane Ian is growing stronger as it barrels towards western Cuba, where authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people in preparation for heavy rainfall and “devastating” wind, Qazet.az reports.
Ian was forecast to hit the western tip of Cuba on Monday evening as a major hurricane and then become an even stronger Category 4 with top winds of 225km per hour (140 miles per hour) over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before striking the US state of Florida later in the week.
Authorities have called on residents to make preparations in advance of the fast-moving storm, which the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned could bring “devastating wind damage” to western Cuba.
Cuban state media reported that authorities were evacuating 50,000 people in Pinar del Rio province, a more lightly populated part of the island dedicated primarily to farming and fishing – and where the storm is set for a direct hit.
They also sent in medical and emergency personnel, and took steps to protect food and other crops in warehouses.
“Cuba is expecting extreme hurricane-force winds, also life threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall,” NHC senior specialist Daniel Brown told The Associated Press early on Monday.