Hurricane Idalia Approaching Florida, US Declares Emergency

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Alexey Demidov PHOTO

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on Monday as Tropical Storm Idalia moved towards Florida State.

Biden ordered the delivery of federal aid to communities in the state, according to a statement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The storm is heading towards Cuba and is expected to move north through the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts that Idalia has the potential to become a category 3 storm upon arrival on the mainland on Wednesday.

"Idalia is currently expected to be a major storm before reaching the coast of Florida Bay," NWSdi X (Twitter) said as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, August 29.

"The risk of a wave of life-threatening storms and dangerous hurricanes continues to rise on parts of the west coast of Florida and Florida Panhandle which began on Tuesday night".

Florida Panhandle is a term for the northern Florida region which looks like a pan handle.

The state of emergency, which includes 33 diFlorida areas, authorized federal officials "to coordinate disaster management efforts to ease the hardships and suffering of local residents due to emergencies," FEMA said.

NWS said residents must prepare for an emergency and monitor the latest developments about the area being crossed by Idalia.

A number of residents in Tampa Bay have been evacuated due to the threat of storm waves as high as 1.2 to 2.1 meters when strong winds push sea water beyond normal limits and enter coastal land.