On October 25, 1921, the Tampa area on the east side of Florida was hit by a powerful hurricane. At the time, a few hundred thousand people lived in the area. Now more than 3 million live in Tampa and the surrounding area, AP writes. The American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that every year there is an 11 percent risk of Tampa being hit by a hurricane, writes AccuWeather. Still, a hurricane hasn’t ravaged the city in the 101 years since 1921. Tampa residents fill sandbags on the beach to protect their homes before the hurricane hits. Photo: SHANNON STAPLETON / Reuters “Ian” is on his way Now the residents fear that 101 is out. Hurricane “Ian” passed western Cuba on Tuesday and has set a course for Florida’s east coast. The Ian left behind great destruction along the west coast of Cuba, but no lives are said to have been lost. The hurricane, which was measured as a Category 3, wreaked havoc for five hours in the morning, and pictures on social media showed flooded streets and roads blocked by fallen trees and power poles. Now “Ian” is heading towards Florida and the reports are that it will make landfall at Tampa on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Jeff Masters is a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connections. He tells the Tampa Bay Times that he has the same feeling as when “Andrew” approached Miami and when “Katarina” approached New Orleans. “Andrew” and “Katarina” are two of the worst hurricanes to hit the United States. – We have a potential disaster underway, says Jeff Masters. On Tuesday afternoon, the center of “Ian” was about to pass Cuba’s north coast. Photo: US National Hurricane Center In the middle of a bay, Tampa lies roughly in the middle of Florida’s east coast. The town is located in the heart of a large bay with shallow water. When a strong storm comes from the south, it will push the water into the bay. – Strong winds will push large amounts of water into the bay. There is nowhere for it to go, so it just builds up, says Brian McNoldy at the University of Miami. The result is that the large low-lying areas in the city are expected to be put under several meters of water. The danger has prompted 2.5 million people in coastal areas from Fort Myers to Tampa Bay to be ordered to evacuate. St. Pete Beach outside Tampa photographed Monday. St. Pete Beach is among the places that could be particularly hard hit by “Ian”. Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO / AFP Most vulnerable to damage Seven years ago, the firm Karen Clark & Company (KCC) presented a report on which American cities were most vulnerable to damage from hurricanes. Tampa topped the list and according to the firm, a hurricane could cause damages of 175 billion dollars, almost NOK 1,900 billion. In a study done by the World Bank in 2013, Tampa came in 7th place of all cities in the whole world. Karen and Danny Aller have barricaded their house outside Tampa. Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO / AFP Has declared a state of emergency Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in all of Florida’s 67 counties. He says the hurricane will bring “heavy rain, strong winds, flooding, storm surge and tornadoes along Florida’s east coast.” US authorities refer to the hurricane as “life-threatening” and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warns of catastrophic flooding in some areas. The residents of Florida’s east coast, like here at a supermarket in St Petersburg, have stockpiled bread and other foodstuffs. Photo: JOE RAEDLE / AFP The sea level has risen “Ian” comes just a week after hurricane “Fiona” which caused great destruction in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. At the weekend, “Fiona” ravaged Canada and the destruction there will take many weeks to clean up. Climate scientists tell Reuters that climate change is making hurricanes wetter, wilder and more intense. The world’s oceans have absorbed around 90 percent of the warming that has come from greenhouse gases in the last 40 years. This has made the oceans warmer, and precisely warm oceans are what drive hurricanes. At the same time, climate change has led to the sea level already rising. McNoldy from the University of Miami refers to the hurricane “Andrew” that ravaged Florida in 1992. “Andrew” is one of the most destructive hurricanes that has ever hit Florida. McNoldy has calculated that if “Andrew” had arrived today, the storm surge would have been 17 centimeters higher. – As the sea rises, the same storm surge will cause larger areas to be flooded, says McNoldy. Karen and Danny Aller have barricaded their house outside Tampa.
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Tampa has escaped for over 100 years – now hurricane “Ian” is coming – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
