Authorities and residents in Florida were keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Ian

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     Authorities and residents in Florida were keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Ian as it rumbled through the Caribbean on Sunday, with the storm expected to strengthen further and become a major hurricane in the coming days as it tracks toward the state. On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida, expanding an initial order that had covered a dozen counties. He urged residents to brace themselves for a storm that could wreak havoc on large swaths of the state with heavy rains, high winds, and rising seas. Ian was expected to become a hurricane on Sunday and a major storm by late Monday. Saturday night, Ian had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it swirled about 395 miles southeast of Grand Cayman. Ian is expected to strengthen before moving over western Cuba and toward the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center. Floridians were advised to have hurricane plans in place and to monitor updates on the storm’s evolving path.

Submitted by Layla Davidson