Hurricane Adalia intensified over the Gulf of Mexico on its way to the Gulf Coast in the US state of Florida, forcing authorities to evacuate residents in low-lying coastal areas that are expected to receive heavy rains when the hurricane hits them on Wednesday morning.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Adalia had maximum sustained winds of 169 kilometers per hour early on Tuesday evening and would intensify before making landfall.
By then, the hurricane is expected to have climbed to Category 3 on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. A category three hurricane is classified as a major hurricane, with a maximum speed of at least 179 kilometers per hour.
But the most dangerous feature of Hurricane Adalia seems to be the huge waves that its strong winds are expected to move towards the islands and low coastal areas.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents of the state in low-lying areas to implement orders to move to higher ground, warning that an intensification of the storm could cause life-threatening flooding.
Hurricane, tropical storm and strong wind warnings were issued for most of the 21 million residents of Florida, as well as many in Georgia and South Carolina. States of emergency were declared in the three states.
US President Joe Biden said at the White House that he and De Santis are “in constant communication,” adding that he assured the governor that federal support for disaster relief would remain “whatever it takes, and he will make sure they get everything they need.”
Adalia turned from a tropical storm into a hurricane early Tuesday, the day after it swept through western Cuba, damaging homes and inundating villages.
Adalia is slated to be the fourth largest hurricane to hit Florida over the past seven years, after Hurricane Irma, which struck the state in 2017, Michael in 2018, and Ian, which reached Category 5 status last September.
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