Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has declared a state of emergency in 24 counties of the state in order to reduce the potential damage that can be caused as Ian, a tropical storm that is expected to landfall as a hurricane, approaches.

DeSantis has also released a statement in this regard, where he said, “This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations”. He further added, “We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to track potential impacts of this storm.” Florida National Guard will be on standby after the governor’s declaration of emergency.

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Reports have surfaced that Ian, which is currently in the central Caribbean Sea, is already gathering strength and travelling towards the west. The storm was at first called Tropical Depression Nine on Friday morning but was later renamed Tropical Storm Ian as it intensified.

The Cayman Islands has been placed under hurricane watch after it was reported that the storm can landfall on the islands as a hurricane. When a hurricane watch is placed on an area, it is on a presumption that the storm is likely to hit the same within a time span of 48 hours.

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Ian is expected to rapidly strengthen from Sunday night to Monday when it will approach Cuba. It will be around Category 3 by then. After this, it can be around the Gulf of Mexico’s east and near the Florida Peninsula. By this time, it will be a Category 3 or stronger hurricane.

On landing in Florida, Ian has chances of moving inland into the Southeast U.S. and can also track alongside parts of Eastern Seaboard sometime during the next week.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has asked citizens to look out for price gouging as the storm approaches. In a statement, Moody said, “Floridians should prepare now with Tropical Depression Nine moving closer to our state”, further adding, 

“If anyone suspects price gouging, report it to my office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM, filing online at MyFloridaLegal.com or using our free No Scam reporting app.”