Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declares emergency as storm is expected to hit Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a authorities of exigency for 24 counties arsenic Tropical Storm Ian gathers spot implicit the Caribbean and is expected to bring dense rainfall and hurricane-force winds to the authorities adjacent week.

DeSantis issued the bid Friday encouraging residents and section governments to marque preparations arsenic the storm moves toward the state. He has besides requested a national pre-landfall exigency declaration.

"This tempest has the imaginable to fortify into a large hurricane and we promote each Floridians to marque their preparations," DeSantis said successful a statement. "We are coordinating with each authorities and section authorities partners to way imaginable impacts of this storm."

The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly fortify successful the coming days earlier moving implicit occidental Cuba and attack Florida adjacent week with large hurricane force.

John Cangialosi, a elder hurricane specializer with National Hurricane Center successful Miami, said it is presently unclear wherever Ian volition deed hardest successful Florida and said residents should statesman preparing for the storm, including gathering supplies for imaginable powerfulness outages.

"Too soon to accidental if it's going to beryllium a southeast Florida occupation oregon a cardinal Florida occupation oregon conscionable the full state," helium said. "So astatine this constituent truly the close connection for those surviving successful Florida is that you person to ticker forecasts and get acceptable and hole yourself for imaginable interaction from this tropical system."

The governor's declaration applies to Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and St. Lucie counties.

Meanwhile, beardown rainfall and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada portion arsenic a powerful post-tropical cyclone made landfall there, with forecasters informing it could beryllium 1 of the astir terrible storms successful the county's history. Fiona made landfall successful Nova Scotia earlier dawn Saturday.

More than 500,000 customers successful Atlantic Canada person been affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the municipality of Port Aux Basques connected the confederate seashore of Newfoundland, wherever full structures were washed into the sea.