Hurricane Ian strikes Florida. Two million people without power
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Hurricane Ian, which killed two people in Cuba and caused immense material damage, is moving across Florida, in the United States.
Hurricane Ian strikes Florida. Two million people without power
Hurricane Ian, which killed two people in Cuba and caused immense material damage, is moving across Florida, in the United States.
Update 30 September, 5:00 pm – The hurricane, after passing over Cuba and Florida, has become a tropical storm. It is now strengthening again and will return to a category 1 or 2 hurricane (it was category 3 when it passed over Cuba, category 4 over Florida) and is expected to strike North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in the coming hours.
Update 29 September, 8:45 am – Hurricane Ian, after striking the island of Cuba hard, crossed the Gulf of Mexico gaining further strength and reaching category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (which has a maximum of 5). Shortly before 10:00 pm Italian time on Wednesday 28 September, the extreme weather event made landfall on the western coast of Florida.
#GOESEast captured this incredible view of the inside of #Hurricane #Ian's eye as the storm approached Florida.
Latest: noaa.gov/ian
#FLwx
Latest: noaa.gov/ian
#FLwx
With winds of 250 kilometres per hour and even more violent gusts, the phenomenon triggered alarm among the local population and authorities. The latest bulletin published on Wednesday 28 September by the American National Hurricane Center already reported "catastrophic flooding" in some areas of the peninsula. The amount of rainfall expected ranges between 30 and 45 centimetres in the centre and north-eastern portion of Florida. In some areas, however, up to 60 centimetres could be recorded.
Shortly after making landfall the cyclone began to lose power, dropping back to category 3. On Thursday morning the authorities released initial information: the flooding is described as "dramatic". The sea rose, driven by the winds, by four metres, and nearly two million people are without electricity.
The entire island of Cuba is in the dark. A widespread blackout was recorded across the whole island from the evening of Tuesday 27 September, due to damage to the electricity grid caused by the passage of Hurricane Ian.
El SEN con 0 generación eléctrica (sin servicio eléctrico el país), condición asociada a las afectaciones climatológicas. La falla está dada en los enlaces occidente, centro y oriente, se restablecerá paulatinamente entre la noche de hoy y madrugada de mañana.
11.2 million people without electricity in Cuba
"At this moment there is no active service at the national level," confirmed Lázaro Guerra, an executive of the company Unión Eléctrica, speaking on Cuban television. With the exception of the rare individuals who have a generator at their disposal, the 11.2 million inhabitants of the Caribbean island were therefore left without power. In Havana, as in other cities, people moved into the streets using their mobile phones as torches.
Hurricane Ian passed over Cuba after increasing in strength, reaching category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (which goes up to 5), concentrating primarily on the western portion of the territory. The hardest-hit area was the fishing village of La Coloma, in the province of Pinar del Río. In San Juan y Martínez winds reached 208 kilometres per hour.
The evacuation of 40,000 people helped limit the death toll
Cuban authorities were forced to evacuate 40,000 people from coastal areas, which helped limit the number of victims: two deaths have been confirmed. The material damage, by contrast, is enormous: numerous houses had their roofs torn off, windows were shattered, infrastructure was damaged, and trees were brought down. And the electricity grid, which even under normal conditions is not always reliable, could not withstand the strain.
Arteria principal de la ciudad de #PinardelRío, los estragos del #HuracanIan son visibles.
A trabajar entre todos para recuperarnos una vez cesen las lluvias y los vientos #ACNreporta @ACN_Cuba @EddaACN_Cuba @miriampACN_Cuba @GrandaMorejon @fdez_marleny
A trabajar entre todos para recuperarnos una vez cesen las lluvias y los vientos #ACNreporta @ACN_Cuba @EddaACN_Cuba @miriampACN_Cuba @GrandaMorejon @fdez_marleny
Tobacco plantations also suffered a devastating blow — one of the few economic resources on which Cuba can count. This risks making the country's productive situation even more complex. It is worth noting that cigar exports alone generated a turnover of 270 million dollars. "Hurricanes come through from time to time, but I have never seen anything like this. Our homes have been destroyed, and so have our farms, the sheds where tobacco is dried, and the fruit trees have been uprooted from the ground," said Abel Hernandez, a farmer from the worst-affected area.
"Hurricane Ian destroyed the little we had left"
"Hurricane Ian made what little we had left disappear," echoed Omar Avila, a factory worker. In the province of Artemisa, not far from the capital, 40 per cent of banana plantations were damaged. And the authorities have not yet been able to assess the extent of the damage to the coastlines.
The powerful cyclone is now moving towards Florida, in the United States. According to the American National Hurricane Center, it is expected to make landfall near Tampa, with winds of around 200 kilometres per hour and 60 centimetres of predicted rainfall. The federal state has declared an emergency and an especially catastrophic impact is feared, according to Governor Ron DeSantis.
Residents of the area have been urged to stock up on water and food and to prepare for widespread blackouts. Seven thousand members of the National Guard have also already been mobilised to assist those affected.