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Although Hurricane Ian’s track has shifted south, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said mandatory evacuations and preparations are continuing.
“The latest predicted path of hurricane Ian shows that it may land a little further south than first anticipated, which wouldn’t be good news for our neighbors, but would be for the Tampa Bay area,” she said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Sherry Jacobs, a spokesperson for Tampa Electric who was also at the news conference, said power to downtown Tampa will not be interrupted as was previously planned now that the storm has shifted.
Castor said that even with the slight change in trajectory, Tampa will not come out of the storm unscathed. In anticipation of high water, she urged people to evacuate from flood zones. People are heeding that warning so far, according to Castor, with record numbers of people on the interstates.
She also said that police officers have been going into neighborhoods to make sure mobile homes in evacuation zones have been cleared. Tampa Police Department Chief Mary O’Connor said there are approximately 1,000 police officers on the streets of Tampa ready to assist.
O’Connor said that while the state of emergency is in place, any burglary or thefts that are committed will bring stiffer penalties, a move that she believes will help protect businesses and residences.
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Source : cnn
