Biden declares state of emergency in Florida amid Tropical Storm Ian

US President Joseph Biden declared that an emergency exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Ian beginning on September 23, 2022, and continuing.

The president's action authorises the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency to the local population, and providing appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, according to the White House website.

Tropical Storm Ian rapidly intensified in the Caribbean. According to weather forecasts, "Ian" will move across the central Caribbean Sea, while the storm will pass Jamaica, southwest of the island on September 25.

The Ian will then reach the Cayman Islands and Cuba.