The storm hits the Bahamas this Wednesday with a dangerous storm surge and strong winds.
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| Hurricane Nicole, heading for the east coast of Florida, in a satellite image taken on Wednesday. |
Evacuation orders and state of emergency in Florida before the arrival of Hurricane Nicole
Nicole, already a category 1 hurricane, hit the northwest of the Atlantic archipelago of the Bahamas this Wednesday on its way to the east coast of the state of Florida (USA), where its arrival was expected in the next few hours.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, approved this Wednesday the emergency declaration in Florida due to the passage of Nicole, which began to form on November 7.
In a statement released by the White House, the US president ordered the assistance of federal funds to supplement state and local response efforts to address the emergency conditions caused by the storm.
Biden ordered the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate "all relief efforts" in the event of a disaster "for the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency in the local population".
Impact on the Bahamas
Nicole became a hurricane after impacting this Wednesday as a tropical storm on the island of Great Abaco, in the northwest of the Atlantic archipelago of the Bahamas, less than 90 kilometers from the coast of Florida, accompanied by a dangerous storm surge and strong winds of 110 km. /h.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC), based in Miami, reported in its bulletin at 7:00 p.m. local time (1:00 a.m. on Thursday, Spanish peninsular time) that Nicole was located about 30 km east of Freeport, the city most important on the island of Grand Bahama, and 160 km east of West Palm Beach (Florida), with maximum, sustained winds of 120 km/h.
Moving west near 12 mph (20 km/h), Nicole was expected to turn west-northwestward overnight on Wednesday, a track it will maintain through Thursday and Friday.
On the forecast track, the center of Nicole was forecast to move toward the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area Wednesday night. The center of the hurricane will then head across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday night and the Carolinas on Friday.
The forecast was that Nicole would remain a hurricane until it reached the east coast of Florida and that it would weaken as it moved through Florida and the southeastern United States between Thursday and Friday, being likely to become a cyclone. post-tropical for Friday afternoon.
Cut bridges
The next arrival of the hurricane already affected the coastal area of eastern Florida on Wednesday, where local authorities cut off access to several bridges that connect to the state's barrier islands. Saint Lucie County authorities announced that they had banned access due to deteriorating weather conditions.
Hours earlier, coastal roads such as Indian River Drive near Jensen Beach were blocked when high waves began to break against the seawall.
Also in Florida, in the Fernandina Beach area, storm surge raised sea levels above about 1 meter. Other notable increases this Wednesday in sea level were recorded in Port Canaveral, where there is an important cruise terminal, with 75 centimeters, or Mayport, with 70 centimeters.
As the hurricane approaches Florida, rain storms and high tides flooded portions of State Highway A1A, in the coastal area of the city of Fort Lauderdale, 30 kilometers from Miami.
Evacuation orders
Due to the passage through the region of the system, a hurricane warning is in effect in the Atlantic archipelago for the islands of Abacos, Berry, and Grand Bahama, in the northwest of the Bahamas.
In Florida, the alert affects Boca Raton to Flagler and Volusia counties, where evacuation orders have been issued for residents on the barrier islands.
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause areas near the coast to be inundated by rising seas.
Large swells generated by Nicole will affect the northwestern Bahamas, the eastern coast of Florida, and much of the southeastern coast of the United States during the next few days.
Florida authorities have set up as many as 15 shelters, especially in southeastern counties, ahead of Nicole's expected impact.
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