Idalia’s most dangerous feature appears to be the powerful surge of wind-driven seawater it is expected to deliver to barrier islands around Florida’s coast.
Hurricane Idalia strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday on its relentless crawl toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, forcing evacuations in low-lying coastal areas expected to be swamped when the powerful storm hits on Wednesday, US time.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents in low-lying communities to heed orders to seek higher ground, warning that the storm surge could cause life-threatening floods.“The time is running out very, very rapidly,” he said at an afternoon news briefing. By early Tuesday afternoon, the storm was churning about 390 km southwest of Tampa as it crept northward.
He stopped taking customers out days ago so he could secure the boats. His biggest craft is tied down to a floating dock with 16 lines and equipped with battery-powered pumps that turn on automatically if the boat starts taking on water. More than 40 school districts across the region cancelled classes, DeSantis said. Tampa International Airport planned to suspend commercial operations beginning at midday Tuesday.
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