The power goes out all over Cuba, in Florida 2.5 million people are called to get to safety: hurricane ian is moving with destructive force from the Caribbean to the American mainland, which it should reach on Wednesday evening.
After its whirlwind over Cuba, the power went out nationwide there. This is due to weather-related damage to the power grid, said the state electricity provider of the socialist Caribbean state, UNE, on Facebook. Restoring the power supply is a complicated process that will take place gradually during the night and in the morning. In the capital, Havana, lights could only be seen in the few buildings that had generators — mostly in hotels. Parts of the country, including the capital, were without power for most of Tuesday.
The storm made landfall in western Cuba early Tuesday morning (local time) as a category 3 of 5 hurricane. The extent of the damage is still unclear – also because information is only coming out slowly due to disrupted Internet connections. “The damage is great, although not yet statistically recorded,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on Twitter after a visit to the province of Pinar del Río, which was particularly hard hit. Cuba’s power supply was already before ian unreliable, the infrastructure is outdated, the power plants too small. Many parts of the country experience frequent, long power outages.
Meanwhile, the US state of Florida is gearing up for ian. “Predictions are subject to change, but for now the experts are saying this could be a very severe hurricane, life threatening and with devastating effects,” said US President Joe Biden. The US hurricane center warned of a life-threatening storm surge and hurricane gusts on the west coast of Florida. Evacuation instructions applied to 2.5 million people – numerous people got to safety.
Meteorologists warned that ian gaining strength over the warm Gulf of Mexico and could reach sustained wind speeds of more than 200 kilometers per hour. The hurricane is expected to weaken before making landfall south of the city of Tampa, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. But because it then moves at a “snail’s pace”, a lot of rain will fall in the coastal region.
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DeSantis called on people to protect themselves. No one should assume that things will turn out lightly again this time, because that has often been the case in the past. Houses can be rebuilt – but personal safety takes precedence over everything. “You still have some time, but that time is running out fast,” DeSantis said.
The region expected to be affected by the storm has not experienced such a hurricane for about a hundred years, warned Deanne Criswell of the American Disaster Management Agency FEMA. It is important that people who have not lived in the southeastern state for long and have little experience with hurricanes take the matter seriously. Experts are also worried that in the past few decades, construction in the region has been getting closer and closer to the water. Floods could damage or destroy many buildings.
The US Department of Defense said more than 3,200 members of the Florida National Guard have been activated, with another 1,800 standing by if needed. Florida has positioned soldiers, air force personnel and equipment at bases across the state in preparation for deployment to storm-hit areas, a department spokesman said. For example, the National Guard can clear streets and help with search and rescue operations.
Because ian the launch of the next crew to the International Space Station, which was scheduled for October 3, has also been postponed. In the capital Washington, a public hearing by the investigative committee on the Capitol attack scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled.