Hurricane Idalia is forecast to make landfall on the west coast of Florida as category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Centre. After landing in Florida, Idalia is expected to cross the peninsula and move towards southern Georgia and the Carolinas on today.

The National Hurricane Center called it ‘extremely dangerous’, capable of leaving the area uninhabitable ‘for weeks or months’ – It is the first hurricane to make landfall in ‘Big Bend’, the underside of Florida’s gulf-facing coast, in a century – In addition to high winds and heavy rain, some areas could see a surge of ocean water up to 3.5 meters causing fears of destructive flooding across parts of the state.

Power outages are also expected as authorities anticipate felled trees will knock down power lines.

49 of 67 counties in Florida are under a state of emergency, 5,500 National Guard have been mobilised to assist with rescue and recovery efforts and officials are urging residents to keep their cars filled with petrol in case they need to evacuate to a safer location.

Agencies/Aljazeera.