The eastern United States is preparing for the arrival in the next few hours of Hurricane Idalia. “Potentially deadly” coastal submersion phenomena, heavy rains and strong winds are expected, warn the authorities.
The southeastern United States is preparing for the arrival of Idalia. The hurricane will hit the country, according to forecasts from the US weather services, from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon. The eye of the hurricane will pass through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Faced with the danger posed by Idalia, the governor of Georgia declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. The measure was also announced in South Carolina.
Residents “in the predicted impact zone can and should take the necessary steps to keep themselves and their families safe,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said.
“This is going to be a major hurricane”
“Idalia is now a category 2 hurricane”, on the Saffir-Simpson scale which includes 5 in total, announced a few tens of minutes later the National Hurricane Center (NHC). “Potentially deadly” coastal flooding, heavy rain and strong winds are expected, he warned.
From a tropical storm, Idalia became a hurricane overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center said it expects it “to rapidly intensify into an extremely dangerous major hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday.”
“This is going to be a major hurricane,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned. If you are told to evacuate, “you must do it immediately,” he told a press conference.
“Very few people can survive being in the way of a major coastal flood, and this storm will be deadly if we don’t get out of harm’s way and take it seriously,” the boss said. the federal agency responsible for the response to natural disasters (Fema), Deanne Criswell.
Federal aid released
In its latest bulletin, the NHC predicts flooding with water levels rising between three and four meters high in places.
US President Joe Biden on Monday approved a declaration of a state of emergency and released federal aid. Fema is already preparing for the aftermath of the storm, including pre-deploying some of its staff, according to the White House.
At the end of September 2022, Florida was hit by the powerful Hurricane Ian, which killed nearly 150 people and caused extensive damage as it passed through the southwest of this state.
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2023-08-29 21:58:00
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