According to meteorologists, “Dorian” could become one of the worst hurricanes in 30 years. Florida braces itself – and US President Trump prepares to be a top priority.
By Martin Ganslmeier, ARD Studio Washington
US President Donald Trump has canceled his planned visit to Poland. Instead, he will spend the extended holiday weekend at the President’s country estate in Camp David near Washington. From there, Trump wants to oversee preparations for the disaster response in Florida. In a video message posted on Twitter, Trump warned the Florida population:
“It looks like this is going to be an absolute monster.”
In fact, meteorologists expect Dorian to become one of the worst hurricanes in the past 30 years. As of today, the hurricane will hit the east coast of Florida on Tuesday night – as a Category 4 hurricane, possibly the highest Category 5.
The longer the storm lasts, the worse the floods
The hurricane is currently soaking up a lot of moisture over the extremely warm Caribbean sea water, said Director of the National Hurricane Center, Ken Graham. And unfortunately “Dorian” moves slower, which is not good news: “The slower, the more time to gain strength. And the more time, the worse the rain masses and the storm surge.”
The eye of the hurricane will hit land somewhere between Miami in the south and Orlando in the north. But the impact will be felt across the state. The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, imposed a state of emergency as a precaution. He called on the population to stock up on supplies for at least seven days.
The Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Giminez, also advised to make provisions in good time: “You need an evacuation plan. Fill your fuel tank. And leave in time to reach a safe place.”
Citizens stock up on water and canned food
Everywhere in Florida there were long lines at gas stations and supermarkets. Many shelves were already empty, especially water and canned goods were in demand. Homeowners stocked up with sandbags and wooden panels.
Tourists who were actually looking forward to the extended holiday weekend break off their vacation early. Gayle Morton, on the other hand, lives in Florida and wants to stay at home. “Dorian” was not her first hurricane, she said on local television: “I survived Andrew, also Wilma and Irma.” But she could confidently do without this storm now.
Hurricane “Dorian” had passed Puerto Rico in the past few days. The rain masses and storm surges that hit the east coast of Florida will be even stronger now.
