Biden declares state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian strengthens into hurricane

President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian is on track to strengthen into a major hurricane over the coming few days.

The emergency declaration authorises the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance if or when Ian makes landfall on the Sunshine State.

Mr Biden has also postponed a trip to southern Florida which was scheduled for Tuesday in anticipation of the extreme weather event.

The president had been expected to give a speech about Medicare and Social Security in Fort Lauderdale before heading to Orlando to speak at a Democratic National Committee rally for Florida Democratic candidates.

It would have marked his first visit to the Sunshine State in more than a year.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said on Sunday that he “appreciates the quick action” from the Democratic president.

“We appreciate it, we’re thankful,” he said.

The federal declaration came as Mr DeSantis also extended the state of emergency to the entire state on Saturday.

Mr DeSantis had issued an emergency declaration for 24 counties on Friday but announced on Saturday that he was widening it and mobilising the state’s National Guard.

The state has also received calls from every other state in the southeast region, saying that they were ready to help in any way they can, officials said.

Speaking at a press conference about the encroaching storm on Sunday morning, Mr DeSantis urged Floridians to get preparations in place now by ensuring they have enough food, water, batteries, medicine and fuel.

The governor said that power outages are to be expected when the hurricane reaches the state mid-week.

“Make preparations now,” he said.

“Listen to local officials and just prepare that with a hurricane of this magnitude those things are likely to happen.”

Mr DeSantis said that the impact of Ian, which is expected to become a hurricane as soon as today, will reach far across the Sunshine State with the exact path still unknown.

“It’s important to point out to folks that the path of this is still uncertain. The impacts will be broad throughout the state of Florida,” he said.

However, Floridians are being told not to “overevacuate” but to “know your zone and know your home”.

If your home lies in an evacuation zone, then you should follow official guidelines and leave, they said.

But if you’re not in an evacuation zone and if your home is able to withstand winds then you may want to shelter in place, officials said.

Residents taking shelter inside their homes should still prepare to lose power for several days on end and should make sure they have enough food and water stocked up.

The guidance came after officials said that two million people over-evacuated during Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Floridians have already begun stockpiling essential items in preparation for the storm, with shoppers lining up outside one Home Depot in Tampa for the store opening at 6am on Saturday, reported the Associated Press.

By early afternoon, the store had sold 600 cases of water and completely ran out of generators.

Nasa is expected to make a final decision on Sunday about rolling back its Artemis l moon rocket into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center to protect it from the incoming potential hurricane.

The space agency was forced to call off the hotly-anticipated launch of the rocket which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday due to the storm.

“NASA is foregoing a launch opportunity Tuesday, Sept. 27, and preparing for rollback, while continuing to watch the weather forecast associated with Tropical Storm Ian,” the agency tweeted on Saturday morning.

The National Hurricane Center is forecasting that Ian will become a hurricane by the end of the day on Sunday as it charts a path across the Caribbean, continuing to gain strength along the way.

As of Sunday morning, it reached wind speeds of 50 mph (85 kph), the agency said.

The storm is expected to move over the Cayman Islands and western Cuba before reaching the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle as a major hurricane by the middle of the week.

By then, it could be a Category 3 hurricane with wind speeds of up to 109 miles per hour (175 kilometres per hour).

While forecasters say it is too early to determine the exact path and strength, parts of coastal Georgia now also lie within the hurricane’s cone of uncertainty.

As Florida prepares for a possible hurricane, Canada is starting to assess the damage and begin recovery efforts after being hammered by post-tropical cyclone Fiona on Saturday.

Fiona, which was formerly a hurricane, made landfall early Saturday in Nova Scotia before moving up the east coast.

Earlier in the week, it hammered Puerto Rico, leaving at least 16 people dead.