Live coverage on this blog has ended, please click here for the latest updates.
Hurricane Ian continues to strengthen as Florida and Cuba brace for strong winds and possible floods this week.
By early Tuesday, the storm was about 50 miles south of the city of western Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane warning is in place for the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Río and Artemisa, while a hurricane watch was issued along the west coast of Florida from north of Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.
Para información en español de Noticias Telemundo haga click aquí
The hurricane is expected to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain to central West Florida, 4 to 8 inches to the rest of the Florida Peninsula and 4 to 6 inches to the Keys. The storm could cause flash and urban flooding mid-to-late week in central Florida, as well as across the Florida Keys and the peninsula, through midweek.
At least 20 airports affected by Ian
Airlines are bracing for challenges and airport closures because of Hurricane Ian.
American Airlines said in a travel alert Monday night that at least 20 airports in the western Caribbean and Florida were affected by the storm. The airline said it would allow passengers whose plans will be altered to rebook without fees.
United Airlines said it was issuing waivers for customers traveling to, from or through affected airports.
Boards go up and residents head out ahead of Ian's arrival
Biden approves emergency declaration for Florida
President Joe Biden has declared an emergency ahead of Hurricane Ian's landfall, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property.
The president postponed a scheduled trip to Florida on Tuesday because of the storm.
Ian's eye now visible on Key West radar
Chevron, BP halt production at some Gulf of Mexico oil platforms
Oil giants BP and Chevron halted production at facilities in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Ian continued barreling toward the U.S., the companies said Monday.
BP said in a statement that essential personnel had been evacuated and production was “shut in” at two deepwater oil platforms — Thunder Horse and Na Kika.
Chevron halted production at Petronius and Blind Faith, offshore platforms that are also in the gulf, the company said in a statement.
Chevron said production at other facilities in the gulf remained at normal levels.
Tennessee deploys troops, emergency responders to Florida
Tennessee will send personnel to Florida to help with the Hurricane Ian response.
More than 1,200 National Guard troops and emergency crew members from Tennessee will head south, Gov. Bill Lee said Monday on Twitter.
"The Volunteer State stands ready to support Floridians," he said.
Florida Power & Light says it's ready to respond to outages
Florida Power & Light said it was putting crews in place so it would be able to respond quickly to outages and damage from Hurricane Ian.
The utility said it had 13,000 people ready to deploy across the state for rapid electricity restoration.
DeSantis declares a statewide emergency
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a statewide emergency and warned that Ian could lash large areas of the state, knocking out power and interrupting fuel supplies, as it swirls northward off the state’s Gulf Coast.
“You have a significant storm that may end up being a Category 4 hurricane,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “That’s going to cause a huge amount of storm surge. You’re going to have flood events. You’re going to have a lot of different impacts.”
DeSantis said the state has suspended tolls around the Tampa Bay area and mobilized 5,000 Florida National Guard troops, with 2,000 more on standby in neighboring states.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move practice ahead of storm
Like much of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers are taking precautions ahead of Hurricane Ian.
The NFL team said Monday that it would temporarily move its operations to Miami-Dade County because of the storm.
The Buccaneers are set to begin holding practice Wednesday at a Miami Dolphins training facility in Miami Gardens, the team said in a statement Monday evening.
The team is scheduled to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, but the NFL and local officials will monitor the storm to see whether adjustments are necessary, the team statement said.
