US: Florida braces for Hurricane Idalia, officials warn of ‘potential for death' as storm nears state

Florida [US], August 30 (ANI): Florida, a US state known for sport fishing, clam farming and wooden houses on stilts, is bracing for a potentially catastrophic hit from Hurricane Idalia storm, CNN reported. 
The officials across Florida's west coast repeatedly pleaded with residents on Tuesday to evacuate the place immediately as the high water waves from the storm could prove deadly and the first responders would not be able to help until the storm passes. 
“If you haven’t evacuated, you’re north of Fort Myers, you’re up into the central Gulf Coast, northern Big Bend area, if you have not evacuated, you need to do that right now. You need to drop what you’re doing, you need to go to your room, pack up, pack your things, and get to safety,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie warned Tuesday evening, according to CNN. 
Idalia is projected to make landfall in the United States during the early hours of Wednesday (US time). The National Hurricane Center said that “Catastrophic storm surge” and “destructive winds” were likely Wednesday morning.
The hurricane was roughly 135 miles west-southwest of Tampa at roughly 10 pm ET, it added.
“There is great potential for death and catastrophic devastation,” the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office warned on Tuesday, saying coastal residents were ordered to evacuate. “Storm surge on the coastal regions are projected as non-survivable.”
On the island city of Cedar Key, on the southern side of the Big Bend, Mayor Heath Davis urged residents under a mandatory evacuation order to leave immediately and said that this was the worst storm he had ever seen, as per CNN. 
“This storm is worse than we’ve ever seen. My family has been here for many generations, we haven’t seen a storm this bad, ever,” he said Tuesday. All emergency services will stop Tuesday evening as winds pick up, the mayor said, adding he does not want to put employees’ lives in danger.
Cedar Key could be cut off by the high storm surge, National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said.
Looking at the intensity of the storm, various school across Florida have cancelled their classes as have 18 state colleges and six universities, including major institutions like the University of Florida in Gainesville and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)