Idalia made landfall in the US state of Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane with extremely strong winds that could reach 204 km/h, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. quoted by AFP. Millions of residents have been evacuated and barricaded in their homes and shelters, warned of impending extreme weather that could endanger their lives.

Most of Florida’s 21 million residents, as well as many of the neighboring states of Georgia and South Carolina, were warned of the impending extreme weather event, and a state of emergency was declared in all three states.

The eye of the hurricane hit Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. local time on Florida’s northeast coast, where water levels rose rapidly, the NHC said.

Idalia was briefly upgraded to a Category 4 on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale before being downgraded to a Category 3 in the morning after approaching the Florida coast. However, the NHC emphasized that the change in wind speed does not reduce the “threat of coastal flooding and severe and potentially fatal gusts.”

“This hurricane is strong, and if you’re at home, take shelter until it passes,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned at a news conference, addressing people who were unable or unwilling to evacuate.

US authorities expect Idalia to cause “extensive property damage” and power outages.

According to the specialized website Poweroutage.us, more than 144,000 homes remained without electricity in Florida on Wednesday morning.

The strongest hurricane to hit this area in the last century

American meteorologists warned of an increased risk of rising water levels, which in some places could reach 3-5 meters and cause catastrophic floods.

“Very few people can survive if they find themselves in the path of major coastal flooding, and this storm will be deadly unless we shelter in place and take it seriously,” said FEMA Director Dean Criswell.

On Tuesday, Ron DeSantis asked everyone in evacuation zones in 23 counties along the coast to “evacuate immediately,” adding that the hurricane was likely to be the strongest to hit the area in a century.

US President Joe Biden, speaking by phone with Ron DeSantis, a similar 2024 presidential candidate, authorized a state of emergency on Monday and unblocked federal aid.

On the east coast of the United States, which is threatened by the arrival of another hurricane, Franklin, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean, Tampa International Airport was closed and flights were suspended.

A state of emergency has also been declared in the US states of South Carolina and Georgia. Although the hurricane is expected to weaken after landfall, “Idalia will likely remain at hurricane status as it moves across southern Georgia and possibly even as it reaches southern South Carolina later today.” – said the NHC.

In western Cuba, heavy rains from Idalia, still a tropical storm at the time, caused flooding in several cities and left more than 200,000 families without electricity, including 90,000 in Havana, Cuban authorities said.

No casualties have been reported in this country.

At the end of September 2022, a powerful hurricane Ian hit Florida, killing almost 150 and causing significant damage after passing through the southwest of this American state. (Source: Agerpres)