Hurricane Michael heading for Florida

TROPICAL Storm Michael became a hurricane yesterday and was expected to strengthen rapidly before hitting the Florida Panhandle midweek, packing winds of at least 160 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Michael was currently a Category 1 hurricane but could make landfall as a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale and bring 10 to 30 centimeters of rain with lifethreatening flash flooding, according to forecasters.

After hitting Florida, the storm is forecast to move northeast tomorrow and on Thursday along the Atlantic Coast and batter the Carolinas, which are still recovering from Hurricane Florence last month.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in more than 20 counties along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend on Sunday.

He advised

Gulf

Coast residents to prepare for possible evacuation orders and has put more than 5,000 National Guard soldiers on alert.

“Families should take the opportunity TODAY to make sure they have three days of food and water, as well as all needed medications,” Scott wrote on Twitter yesterday. “EVERY FAMILY must be prepared. We can rebuild your home, but we cannot rebuild your life.”

Michael battered parts of Mexico and Cuba with powerful winds and drenching rains on Sunday and into early Monday as it churned in the Caribbean.

BP and Exxon Mobil on Monday began evacuating personnel from Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production platforms.

The Commodity Weather Group said Michael was not likely to cause much interruption to oil and gas production.