Storms | Cuba and Florida are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Ian

In the Caribbean Cuba and the US east coast in Florida are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Ian. As of Monday afternoon local time, Ian was a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to strengthen before making landfall in Cuba in the evening, news agency Reuters tells.

A state of emergency has been declared in Cuba for several western provinces and in Florida for all counties due to the hurricane.

Ian stormed local time Monday morning about 160 kilometers southwest of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. The measured wind speeds at that time were about 35.5 meters per second.

According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Ian may sweep over western Cuba late Monday and early Tuesday local time. The Cuban Meteorological Institute has said that Ian is moving at a speed of about 22 kilometers per hour.

The Cuban authorities have said that they are ready to evacuate people from possible disaster areas and that they will arrange clean drinking water and medical supplies.

Ian is forecast to strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane after entering the Gulf of Mexico, but is expected to weaken again on Thursday while off Tampa in the Gulf of Florida.

Predictions said the storm could make landfall north of Tampa Bay, Florida, early Friday or turn toward the northwest part of the state. On Monday, Floridians rushed to place sandbags around their homes. Store shelves were emptied as people collected emergency supplies.

Ian is expected to bring very strong winds, heavy rain and storm surges to the sunny state. The hurricane may damage or destroy homes and cause power outages in the coming days, meteorologists warn.

“This is a really big storm,” Florida Gov Ron DeSantis said at a press conference, adding that the storm could hit both coasts of the state.

DeSantis has advised people to stock up on water, food, medicine and fuel in case of the storm.

Ian’s advance towards Florida has also affected the operations of the US space agency NASA. NASA had to move its gigantic Artemis 1 moon rocket off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, postponing the long-awaited launch for the third time.

Florida the hurricanes that have plagued in recent years have brought with them heavier rains and stronger winds than previous storms. The average intensification of storms is believed to be due to climate change.

There is also evidence that climate change is slowing down the progress of storms, meaning they can bring more rain to one location than before.

Governor DeSantis has called in 5,000 National Guard members. In addition, about 2,000 National Guardsmen are coming from nearby states such as Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

Mayor of Key West Teri Johnston said the island city could be one of the first places in the U.S. to be hit by Hurricane Ian. According to Johnston, the homeowners have boarded up their windows and stocked up on food and water.

The city has even cut coconuts from some of the trees on the streets, because according to the mayor, a coconut “can become a 30-kilogram projectile in a stormy wind.”