Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has urged residents of the southeastern US state to prepare for an incoming storm as Idalia strengthens in the Caribbean and is set to become a “major hurricane” before reaching Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast this week.
Tropical Storm Idalia intensified early on Monday and could bring an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surges and dangerous hurricane-force winds to Florida as soon as late Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a morning advisory.
The storm is forecast to travel across western Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico before reaching northwest Florida, the agency said.
“This is going to be a major hurricane,” DeSantis said during a news conference on Monday morning.
“If you are in the path of this storm, anywhere on that Gulf coast from the Tampa Bay area all the way up to Franklin County in northwest Florida, just prepare for major impacts,” said DeSantis, who is running for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
“Now’s the time to take the appropriate precautions. We do expect Hurricane Idalia to be a major hurricane that will strike the state of Florida.”
Source: Aljazeera