Hurricane Ian slammed into western Cuba on Tuesday as a major hurricane, with nothing stopping it from intensifying into a devastating Category 4 storm before making landfall on Wednesday in Florida, where officials ordered the evacuation of 2.5 million people. Ian reached land at 4:30 am. EDT Tuesday in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where officials set up 55 shelters, evacuated 50,000 people, rushed emergency personnel and took measures to protect crops in the country’s main tobacco-producing region. The US National Hurricane Center reported “significant wind and storm impacts” Tuesday morning in western Cuba. Ian hit with sustained top winds of 125 mph (205 kmh). Up to 14 feet (4.3 meters) of storm surge was predicted along the coast of Cuba. Ian was forecast to strengthen further over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, reaching winds of 140 mph (225 kmh) as it approaches the southwest coast of Florida. Tropical storm-force winds were expected across the southern peninsula late Tuesday, reaching hurricane force Wednesday morning. “Right now we’re focusing on west-central Florida as the primary area for impact,” hurricane specialist Andy Lato told The Associated Press on Tuesday. With tropical-storm-force winds extending 115 miles (185 kilometers) from Ian’s center, damage was expected across a wide area of Florida regardless of where Ian lands. The hurricane center extended its storm surge warning to the peninsula’s Atlantic coast and extended its tropical storm warning from Boca Raton to Brunswick, Georgia — a distance of about 375 miles (603 kilometers). Gil Gonzalez boarded up his windows with plywood Tuesday and had sandbags ready to protect his Tampa home from flooding. He and his wife had stocked up on bottled water and flashlights, batteries for their cell phones and a stove with a large propane burner as they prepared to evacuate. “All the valuables, we’ve put them upstairs at a friend’s house and nearby, and we’ve got the car loaded,” Gonzalez said. He added: “I think we’re ready.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis said about 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate. He urged people to prepare for power outages and get out of their way. “When you have 5 to 10 feet of storm surge, that’s not something you want to be a part of,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “And Mother Nature is a very formidable opponent.” The hurricane center extended its hurricane warning to include Bonita Beach north through Tampa Bay to the Anclote River. Fort Myers is in the hurricane zone, and Tampa and St. Petersburg could be hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921. “People on the barrier islands who decide not to go do so at their own peril,” Roger Desjarlais, county administrator of Lee County, where Fort Myers is located, said early Tuesday. “The best thing they can do is leave.” The county issued mandatory evacuations for low-lying areas including Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Bonita Beach, home to about 250,000 people. As the center of the storm moved into the Gulf, scenes of devastation were seen in Cuba’s world-famous smoke belt. The owner of top cigar producer Finca Robaina posted photos on social media showing wooden roofs smashed to the ground, greenhouses in rubble and overturned wagons. “It was revealing, a real disaster,” wrote Hirochi Robaina, grandson of the company’s founder. State media released photos showing heavy flooding running through the city of San Juan y Martinez, and more than 1 million Cubans were without power Tuesday morning, including all of the western provinces of Pinar del Rio and Artemisa. There were no reports of deaths. Ian’s forward motion was expected to slow over the Gulf, allowing the hurricane to grow and strengthen before bringing punishing wind and water to Florida’s west coast. Forecasters said the ocean water surge could reach 10 feet (3 meters) if it peaked at high tide. Rainfall could total 16 inches (41 cm) with up to 24 inches (61 cm) in isolated areas. Coastal communities could be flooded. In Key West, the airport was closed Tuesday as torrential rains from the storm fueled king tides to flood roads, prompting animal rescuers to delay their rush until Ian passed. In Orlando, Disney World closed four hotels as a precaution while holding off on any decision to close its theme parks. Busch Gardens in Tampa was closed until at least Thursday. In the northeast corner of Florida, the US Navy said it plans to move ships and aircraft from its base outside Jacksonville. Safe, NASA rolled the moon rocket off the launch pad into the Kennedy Space Center hangar, adding weeks of delay to the test flight. Tampa and St. Petersburg airports announced they would be closed Tuesday afternoon. President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect life and property. FEMA has strategically placed generators, millions of meals and millions of gallons of water, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Damaging winds and flooding are expected across the peninsula as Ian moves north, reaching Georgia, South Carolina and other parts of the southeastern US between Friday and Sunday, the hurricane center said. — Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press contributors include Cody Jackson in Tampa, Fla., Freida Frisaro in Miami, Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Fla., and Julie Walker in New York.
