( Observer Network News)
Cuba National power outage, US moon landing rocket was forced to withdraw... On the evening of Tuesday (27th), local time, Hurricane "Ian" was approaching Florida, USA at a speed of 120 miles per hour (about 193 kilometers per hour), and gradually increasing the wind.
"This is serious, it will be a very big storm." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at the press conference that night. According to the latest forecast, "Ian" is expected to cause a maximum of $70 billion in losses, making it the sixth highest economic losses in U.S. history. The storm may also exacerbate food inflation as "Ian" directly targets key citrus growing areas and fertilizer production areas in Florida.
Currently, more than 1.75 million residents in Florida have received mandatory evacuation orders, but for some people, the arrival of disaster is not all bad news. Some American media analysts believe that "Ian" will be the real test of DeSantis, the leader in the Republican Party's 2024 election. If handled properly, the accumulation of his political wealth will be a huge boost.
"Ian" had previously landed in Cuba. Image source: CNN
"This is the real "
comprehensive CNN (CNN ) and Bloomberg reported that "Ian" is likely to land between Sarasota and Port Charlotte on the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday afternoon or evening EST, and may increase from a Category 3 hurricane to a Category 4 hurricane, with winds equivalent to a strong or super typhoon in the typhoon rating division.
According to the update of National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 8 pm, affected by the periphery of Hurricane Ian, the Florida Islands are currently suffering from tropical storm level wind, and tornadoes have occurred in some areas in the south.
It is predicted that the hurricane will put many places in Florida facing life-threatening storm surges, floods and strong winds. The Hurricane Center said Florida's west coast will be the worst affected area by storm surges, and is expected to face 8-12 feet (about 243.84-365.76 cm) high.
Also, according to National Weather Service (NWS) estimates that heavy rainfall will affect most of the Florida Peninsula , which may trigger flash floods. Among them, large-scale moderate to severe river flooding will occur in Tampa Bay, central Florida and other places, and will last for a long time. Heavy rain will also spread to other parts of the southeastern United States on Thursday and Friday.
To make matters worse, officials pointed out that the water storage capacity of many rivers and streams in Florida is currently in oversaturated. In the past two weeks, rainfall in southern Florida has exceeded normal levels, and several rivers in the Midwest have also exceeded the flood level.
In addition, about 8 million people in parts of western and central Florida are expected to face strong wind disasters of at least 74 mph, or make some residences “uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
Possibility of large flood disasters in Florida in the next three days. Image source: NWS Twitter
At a press conference Tuesday night, Florida Governor DeSantis said the impact of the hurricane will spread from the West Coast to the East Coast. "This is serious, it will be a very serious storm."
"may cause economic losses of $70 billion, ranking sixth in history." Chuck Watson, a geophysicist and disaster risk simulation expert at Enki Research, a research institution, estimated that the losses caused to the United States by Hurricane Ian is expected to be between $60 billion and $70 billion.
According to statistics from NOAA (NOAA), this will make "Ian" the sixth highest economic loss in U.S. history, far higher than Hurricane "Andrew" that swept Florida in 1992. At the top of the list is " Katrina " that caused $186.3 billion in economic losses in 2005 (the amount adjusted for inflation in 2022).
The top ten hurricane disasters with the highest economic losses caused by the United States (the amount is adjusted for inflation in 2022) Image source: Bloomberg
Hurricane "Andrew" swept across Florida in 1992 Picture from US Federal Emergency Management Agency
In order to deal with the hurricane, Florida has entered a state of public health emergency. Many counties and cities have issued evacuation orders of varying degrees, involving about 2.5 million people, of which more than 1.75 million were required to evacuate forcibly.
In Tampa Bay , which was once predicted to be directly attacked, many supermarkets experienced panic buying, canned food and bottled water on the shelves were swept away by residents, and many people drove north to take refuge, and long queues were lined up on the road.
In Tampa Bay, shoppers are looking for leftover drinking water on supermarket shelf . Image source: CNN
On the West Coast, Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard told CNN Tuesday afternoon that it is too late to leave now.
"If you haven't evacuated, if you haven't got supplies, it's too late. You just need to take shelter in place and wait for the storm to come," Hipold said.
traffic to seek refuge north. Image source: CNN
According to White House , on Tuesday night, US President Biden talked with Florida Gov. DeSantis to "discuss the measures taken by the federal government to help Florida prepare for Hurricane 'Ian'," and the two promised to continue to coordinate on this.
Previously, Biden revealed that he had approved Florida's emergency aid request. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has deployed 700 people to the state, DeSantis has dispatched 5,000 National Guard members in the state, and other states are expected to send 2,000 players to support.
According to US Coast Guard , Tampa , St. Petersburg and Manatee ports have been closed.
Duke Energy, which powers 1.9 million Florida users, warns that there will be long-term power outages in the future. "Ian" had previously caused a nationwide power outage in the country after landing in western Cuba.
Walt Disney Company will close all its theme parks in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday, and Tampa Busch Gardens, owned by SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., will also be closed until Thursday.
Several major airports in Florida have been pre-announced to be completely closed when hurricanes pass through. Orlando International Airport announced that it will be closed from 10 a.m. on the 28th, while Tampa International Airport will suspend operations at 5 p.m. on the 27th. Several airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights in Florida.
Some experts pointed out that because "Ian" directly targets key citrus cultivation areas and fertilizer production areas, the storm may also exacerbate food inflation.
US media: This hurricane may create the "political legacy" of the Republican leader
The problems brought by hurricanes are not limited to this. At this time, there are only 6 weeks before the US midterm elections. Some media pointed out that this will also be the real test for the Republican leader DeSantis during his tenure as the leader of the Republican 2024 election.
US "politician" news network said that aside from the direct life-and-death challenge of dealing with the storm, one of the biggest problems facing DeSantis is how the hurricane will affect Florida's already shaky property insurance market. Many have long been worried that a large hurricane could force some of Florida’s smaller domestic operators to shut down, further undermining the state’s insurance market and putting policyholders in trouble.
Furthermore, historically, it was the real storm that shaped the political legacy of former governors Jeb Bush and Rick Scott, who have handled several major natural disasters during their tenure. Although no one wants to see the natural disaster happen, the fact is that the disaster provides officials with almost unrestricted free media resources, which will be a huge boost to the accumulation of any governor's political wealth.
report pointed out that DeSantis, who has always been keen on provoking partisan conflict, is currently putting down his open fight with the Democratic Party.After Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida, he also rarely praised the Biden administration and thanked the "quick action" that allowed localities to prepare for disasters as soon as possible. Additionally, as DeSantis began a daily press conference, the report believes his attention has shifted politically, but it is unclear whether he will remove the governor’s re-election campaign ad or suspend political activity.
Former Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate said that if the response fails, DeSantis may be difficult to get re-election and his agenda will also stagnate; but if it is handled well, it will "add capital to your agenda and prepare for your higher position."
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