Hurricane Ian , Makes Landfall in Cuba , as It Approaches Florida .
Early on September 27, Hurricane Ian
strengthened to a major Category 3 storm
as it made landfall in western Cuba.
NBC reports that landfall was made
just southwest of the town of
La Coloma in the Pinar Del Río province.
According to the National Hurricane Center,
Ian slammed into Cuba around 4:30 A.M. ET
with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.
Cuban authorities have said that hundreds of thousands
of people have been evacuated, and both emergency
and medical personnel have been deployed. .
On September 26, Ian passed by
the nearby Cayman Islands with
no reports of any major damage. .
Premier Wayne Panton said that the British territory was , "very fortunate to have been spared the worst
of a potentially very serious storm.".
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared
a statewide emergency with a direct hit on
Tampa Bay forecast as soon as September 28.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared
a statewide emergency with a direct hit on
Tampa Bay forecast as soon as September 28.
That’s going to cause a huge amount
of storm surge. You’re going to have
flood events. You’re going to have
a lot of different impacts, Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor, via NBC.
This storm is trending to slow down,
which means it could potentially
sit on top of us for 47 hours, Cathie Perkins, Director of Pinellas County Emergency
Management, via NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa.
That’s a lot of rain, and it’s not
going to be able to drain out quickly, Cathie Perkins, Director of Pinellas County Emergency
Management, via NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa