Florida issues evacuation order for Tampa ahead of Hurricane Ian

Florida officials issued a mandatory evacuation order to residents of Tampa in anticipation of Hurricane Ian, and leaders in other parts of the state are warning residents that similar orders could come within the next day as they brace for a storm that forecasters fear will be potent.

Ian moved near the Cayman Islands and closer to western Cuba early on Monday on a track to hit Florida as a major hurricane this week.

Hillsborough county, which covers a part of Tampa, issued a mandatory evacuation order to more than 300,000 people on Monday morning. The county also cancelled school on Tuesday.

If Ian hits Tampa directly it would be the first hurricane to do so in a century, meteorologists calculate.

Authorities in Cuba suspended classes in Pinar del Río province and planned evacuations on Monday as Ian gained strength on approach to Grand Cayman and the Cuban provinces of Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Río and Artemisa.

At 8am EDT on Monday, Ian was moving north-west at 14mph (22km/h), about 90 miles (145km) west-south-west of Grand Cayman, sustaining top winds of 75mph (120km/h).

Florida residents were getting ready, lining up for hours in Tampa to collect bags of sand and clearing store shelves of bottled water.

DeSantis also warned of traffic congestion as residents follow evacuation orders.

Tampa-based National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Davis told CNN that Tampa residents should be prepared for a major storm.

Flash and urban flooding is possible in the Florida Keys and Florida peninsula through midweek, and then heavy rainfall is possible for north Florida, the Florida panhandle and the south-east United States later this week.

Joe Biden postponed a scheduled Tuesday trip to Florida for a midterm elections rally because of the pending storm.

Biden also declared an emergency, authorizing his homeland security department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance.

On Monday afternoon, BP and Chevron paused production at offshore oil platforms in the gulf.

The Associated Press contributed reporting