The residents of the States of Florida and Georgia were preparing this Thursday for Dorian’s arrival Monday to the southeast of the United States as a category 4 hurricane, having intensified in the Atlantic on its way north.
Dorian, which was gaining strength in the Caribbean after passing north of Puerto Rico, turned into a category 2 hurricane on Thursday night (out of a maximum of 5) with winds of up to 165 kilometers per hour, according to the National Center of United States Hurricanes (NHC). This Friday will become “a hurricane of great intensity and will continue to be extremely dangerous throughout the weekend,” according to the same source.
The models of his career show him arriving in the southeast of the United States between Monday and Tuesday, although it is not known where exactly. Projections estimate that it will then blow with winds of 209 kilometers per hour, which is equivalent to category 4.
The governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, declared a state of emergency in 12 counties along the coast, a day after the neighboring state of Florida did the same with its entire east coast. Kemp said the storm “has the potential to produce catastrophic impacts for citizens” across the southeast coast of the country. “I want to warn our citizens that they are ready to mobilize very quickly,” he told a news conference. “We still don’t know much about the storm’s trajectory.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis insisted Thursday that all residents must be prepared to receive the impact of a major hurricane. “All Floridians should have a plan. Don’t wait until it’s too late,” he wrote on Twitter.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that he will cancel a trip he planned to Poland due to the threat of the hurricane. “It seems that the storm could be very, very big,” he said.
In Florida, on Thursday, counties made sandbag distribution centers available to place in doors in flood areas, and long queues were already visible to buy grocery supplies. Local television showed shelves out of stock and queues at gas stations in the center of the State. In Miami, whose metropolitan area lives more than five million people, shelves of water and canned food in supermarkets were beginning to empty.
South Florida was hit in 2017 by Irma, a category 4 hurricane that left serious damage to the keys. Last year, northern Florida was devastated by Michael, who arrived with category 5.
In Puerto Rico, the population woke up relieved to be saved from the threat of the hurricane, which was to be the first cyclone to hit this Caribbean island since the monstrous Maria destroyed it two years ago.
With information from El País.
