Page 2 - Florida

People trapped, hospital damaged after hurricane Ian swamps SW Florida

Hurricane Ian left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2 million people before aiming for the Atlantic Coast. One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States barreled across the Florida peninsula overnight Wednesday, threatening catastrophic flooding inland, the National Hurricane Center warned. The center's 2 a.m. advisory said Ian was expected to emerge over Atlantic waters later on Thursday, with flooding rains continuing across central and northern Florida. In Port Charlotte, along Florida's Gulf Coast, the storm surge flooded a lower-level emergency room in a hospital even as fierce winds ripped away part of the roof from its intensive care unit, according to a doctor who works there. Water gushed down onto the ICU, forcing staff to evacuate the hospital's sickest patients -- some of whom were on ventilators to other floors, said Dr. Birgit Bod

Hurricane Ian one of strongest storms to make landfall in Florida, US

After rapidly intensifying over warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ian slammed into southwestern Florida yesterday as a massive Category 4 storm

23 missing as boat carrying migrants sinks off Florida amid Hurricane Ian

Twenty-three people were found missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, US Border Patrol said in a statement as the hurricane hit the US state

'Extremely dangerous' eyewall of Hurricane Ian moving onshore: US NHC

Hurricane Ian's "extremely dangerous" eyewall is moving onshore, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has said

Hurricane Ian has potential for 'catastrophic' chemical leak in Florida

As Floridians board up their homes and businesses brace for Hurricane Ian's impact, environmental groups worry there's one big hazard that's been left exposed to storm damage

Fears over floods, winds rise as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida coast

Florida residents rushed to board up their homes, stash precious belongings on upper floors and flee from oncoming Hurricane Ian, fearing the monstrous storm that knocked out power to all of Cuba and left 11 million people without power would slam into their state's west coast with catastrophic winds and flooding on Wednesday. You can't do anything about natural disasters, said Vinod Nair, who drove inland from the Tampa area Tuesday with his wife, son, dog and two kittens seeking a hotel in the tourist district of Orlando. We live in a high risk zone, so we thought it best to evacuate. Nair and his family were among at least 2.5 million Florida residents ordered to evacuate in anticipation of a powerful storm surge, high winds and flooding rains. Fueled by warm offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Ian was gaining strength after plowing over western Cuba's prized tobacco-growing region as a Category 3 storm on Tuesday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Ian could become

Hurricane warning extended in Florida ahead of potentially devastating Ian

A hurricane warning has been extended southward on the west coast of the southeastern US state of Florida to Chokoloskee, forecasters said

Hurricane Ian lashes Cuba, likely to hit Florida coast as Category 4 storm

A strengthening Hurricane Ian's rain and winds lashed Cuba's western tip, where authorities have evacuated 50,000 people, as it roared on a path that could see it hit Florida's west coast as a Category 4 hurricane. Officials in Cuba's Pinar del Rio province set up 55 shelters, rushed in emergency personnel and took steps to protect crops in Cuba's main tobacco-growing region ahead of Ian's expected landfall early on Tuesday as a major hurricane. The US National Hurricane Centre said the island's west coast could see as much as 14 feet (4.3 metres) of storm surge. Cuba is expecting extreme hurricane-force winds, also life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall, hurricane centre senior specialist Daniel Brown told The Associated Press. After passing over Cuba, Ian was forecast to strengthen further over warm Gulf of Mexico waters before reaching Florida as early as Wednesday as a Category 4 storm with top winds of 140 mph (225 km/h). As of Monday, Tampa and St. Petersburg appear

Emergency declared in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian strengthens

Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for all of Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gained strength over the Caribbean and was forecast to become a major hurricane soon days as it tracked toward the state. DeSantis had initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties on Friday. But he on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state, urging residents to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida. This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations, DeSantis said in a statement. We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to track potential impacts of this storm. US President Joe Biden also declared an emergency for the state, authorising the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance to protect lives and property. The president postponed a scheduled

Donald Trump's turbulent White House years culminate in Florida search

Mounds of paper piled on his desk. Framed magazine covers and keepsakes lining the walls. One of Shaquille O'Neal's giant sneakers displayed alongside football helmets, boxing belts and other sports memorabilia, crowding his Trump Tower office and limiting table space. Well before he entered politics, former President Donald Trump had a penchant for collecting. And that lifelong habit combined with his flip disregard for the rules of government record keeping, his careless handling of classified information, and a chaotic transition borne from his refusal to accept defeat in 2020 have all culminated in a federal investigation that poses extraordinary legal and political challenges. The search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club earlier this month to retrieve documents from his White House years was an unprecedented law enforcement action against a former president who is widely expected to run for office once again. Officials have not revealed exactly what was contained in the boxes, but th

Donald Trump's 'planted evidence' claim unlikely to stand up in court

Donald Trump and his supporters are ratcheting up their baseless claim that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents may have "planted" evidence when they searched his Mar-a-Lago home

Mar-a-Lago estate search just part of one of several probes against Trump

The potential legal peril from multiple quarters comes as Trump lays the groundwork for another presidential run in 2024

Trump could be barred from holding office if FBI finds classified documents

The reports coming in indicate that Donald Trump had taken some classified documents with him. if any such documents are found at his home, he would be barred from holding any office for life

US court approves $1 bn settlement deal in deadly Florida condo collapse

The bulk of the $1.02 billion total will go to people who lost family members in the collapse of the 12-story building

Nasa fuels moon rocket for in countdown rehearsal despite issue during test

NASA fueled its huge moon rocket for the first time and went ahead with a critical countdown test despite a fuel line leak

Heavy rain hits South Florida, flooding strands vehicles in Miami

Officials in Miami warned drivers about road conditions as many cars were stuck on flooded streets

India to play 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is vs West Indies between July 22-August 7

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the BCCI on Wednesday announced India's tour of the West Indies where the 'Men in Blue' will play three ODIs and five T20Is between July 22 and August 7. India will finish its white-ball leg of UK tour on July 17 and those selected would directly leave for the West Indies from England. The ODI series and three T20Is will be hosted across Trinidad and Tobago and St Kitts & Nevis, with the final two T20Is scheduled to be held in Fort Lauderhill, Florida in the USA. The three ODIs will be played on July 22, 24 and 27 respectively at Port of Spain's (Trinidad & Tobago) iconic Queen's Park Oval and will be followed by five T20Is, two of which will be played at Florida's Fort Lauderhill. The first T20I will be held at Brian Lara Stadium (Port of Spain) on July 29 and followed by two games at St Kitt's Warner Park on August 1 and 2 respectively. The final two games, in order to cater to the Indian diaspora in the United States, will be held at the ...

Florida governor DeSantis expected to sign abortion restriction bill

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was expected to sign a abortion ban into law as the state moves to join a growing conservative push ahead of a US Supreme Court decision that could limit access nationwide.

Florida-based restaurant group sues Google for directing customers away

A restaurant group in the US has sued Google for directing customers to unauthorised Google-branded food ordering web pages rather than sending them to the restaurant's own website.

Donald Trump cancels press conference scheduled for Jan 6 in Florida

Former President Donald Trump has cancelled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida on the anniversary of the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead be discussing his grievances at a rally he has planned in Arizona later this month. Trump had been expected to use the press conference to rail against the congressional committee investigating the events of Jan 6, when a mob of his supporters violently stormed the Capitol in an effort to halt the peaceful transfer of power, and to repeat his lies about the 2020 election. Trump continues to insist the election was stolen and the real insurrection was on Nov 3, 2020, the day Democrat Joe Biden won a 306-232 Electoral College victory. Federal and state election officials and Trump's own attorney general have said repeatedly the election was fair. The event would have been Trump's second press conference since leaving office.