President Joe Biden held separate calls with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater as they prepare for Hurricane Ian to make landfall.
Biden warned Florida residents that the storm has the potential for a “life-threatening and devastating” impact and called on them to obey evacuation orders.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was asked if the agency was spread too thin dealing with the impact of Hurricane Fiona as Ian is set to hit Florida. “We have enough people right now to come in and support the response for this,” she said. Criswell also said Tuesday that the biggest concern was the storm surge, noting that it’s the leading cause of hurricane-related facilities.
Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Tuesday as it made landfall in Cuba.
Next, Ian heads to Florida where it is expected to make landfall in the late afternoon. The storm is expected to strengthen even more overnight before it does make landfall.
A tornado watch is in effect for South Florida and about 2.5 million people are under evacuation orders.
