Citizen Journalist: #hurricane

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Hurricane Ian struck the western tip of the island, left millions of Cubans without power and is headed towards Florida

The hurricane knocked out power across all of Cuba. Initially, there was loss of power in the western provinces, but later the entire grid collapsed. That meant nearly 11 million people were left without electricity. Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm and devastated Pinar del Rio province. That meant destruction of large numbers of the country's most important tobacco farms. The authorities had to arrange evacuation of tens of thousands of people as the disaster left behind damaged houses and floods. The US National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered "significant wind and storm surge impacts." The hurricane had struck with top sustained winds of 125mph and it could gain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico and nears the southwestern coast of Florida. Already orders are given for millions of people of Florida to leave. Hurricane Ian leaves 11 million in Cuba without electricity as it heads towards Florida. Warning is given to residents as well as holidaymakers to take precautions and not be complacent. This is because the hurricane could become a Category 4 storm, with wind speeds of 140mph across the whole state.

Deanne Criswell, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), held an emergency briefing at the White House. She summed up the grim situation and said - “The storm surge is going to be significant, and you put 20 inches of rain on top of that…. We are talking about impacts in parts of Florida that haven't seen a major direct impact in nearly 100 years." Incidentally, Hurricane Ian is heading towards the Florida Keys. This is a popular holiday destination consisting several islands, some less than a mile wide. US President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip and called mayors in three Florida cities to assure them federal support is ready to deploy food, fuel and shelter. FEMA has already set up 29 emergency community shelters. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to be prepared. There are predictions of floods for much of the Florida peninsula midweek. This could lead to heavy rainfall for the southeast of the US later this week.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Britain in grip of hurricane-force winds of 113mph – travel plans go awry

#Stornoway #Scotland #hurricane #ScotRail Britain is in the grip of hurricane-force winds of 113mph on the island of Stornoway and travel plans have gone awry with all ScotRail train services across Scotland suspended – this terrible Atlantic storm has caused havoc with nearly 75,000 homes without power. The suspension of train services is for 'safety reasons'.
The gusts was at its peak of 113mph on Stornoway – this was the strongest winds since records began to be kept in 1970. In other places the speeds were 110mph at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands, 97mph in Altnaharra and 61mph in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Of course, the strongest was in Cairngorm where speeds reached 140mph.
In other places the wind speeds of between 60mph and 70mph are expected in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where the Met Office has put in place yellow 'be prepared' warnings.
Moreover, due to such strong winds, trees are down and are blocking roads, especially in the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, and alert has been given for people not to travel 'unless absolutely necessary'. Many buildings have been damaged, trees uprooted and power lines have been affected by the high winds.
The gales are believed to have been caused by a 250mph Atlantic jet stream heading for the north of Scotland from the US.