Trump's Mar-a-Lago in Hurricane Nicole's path as it makes landfall near Florida's Vero Beach
VERO BEACH, FLORIDA: Hurricane Nicole made landfall over Florida's east coast, just south of Vero Beach, on Thursday, November 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. As the storm pounded the Bahamas on Wednesday night, November 9, it intensified into a hurricane. Authorities issued evacuation orders that included the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump. Only two such hurricanes have made landfall in Florida since 1853 — the 1935 Yankee Hurricane and Hurricane Kate in 1985 — making this a unique November hurricane for the storm-weary state.
Hurricane Nicole was predicted to generate a storm surge that could severely destroy many of the beaches that had previously been damaged by Hurricane Ian in September. After that, it is expected to head into Georgia and the Carolinas later on Thursday, November 10, and then Friday, November 11. The Hurricane Center said in a statement, "Strong winds, dangerous storm surge and waves and heavy rains continue over a large area.” According to PowerOutage.us, around 54,000 homes and businesses in Florida were without electricity as Hurricane Nicole approached.
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According to Actionnewsjax, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Nicole's epicenter was only about 15 miles east-southeast of Fort Pierce, Florida, early on Thursday, November 10. With maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and a west-northwest motion of 14 mph, it was classified as a Category 1 hurricane. The minimum sustained wind speed for a storm to be classified as a hurricane is 74 mph. With maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, the wide-ranging storm made landfall on Great Abaco island barely hours before slamming into Grand Bahama as a hurricane.
Nicole has just made landfall just south of #VeroBeach! https://t.co/FlgbEfMw5j
— Tony Mainolfi (@TMainolfiWESH) November 10, 2022
Since Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane that destroyed the island in 2019, Nicole is the first storm to make landfall in the Bahamas. After making landfall in the northwest of the island, extensive flooding, downed trees, and power and water disruptions were reported. Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis stated at a news conference in Tallahassee that winds were the largest worry and that there might be substantial power outages, but that 16,000 linemen, 600 guardsmen, and seven search and rescue teams were ready to restore power. DeSantis said of the storm's expected landfall, "It will affect huge parts of the state of Florida all day.”
As of 7PM, #Nicole has strengthened into a hurricane and is expected to bring coastal flooding, heavy winds, rain, rip currents & beach erosion.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 10, 2022
Pay attention to local officials & @FLSERT for updates as the storm approaches. pic.twitter.com/IrP5DFkVcO
According to the governor, 15 shelters were open throughout Florida's east coast and almost two dozen school districts were closing their doors due to the hurricane. Earlier, the resorts at Disney World and Universal Orlando announced their closures. On Wednesday morning, November 9, Palm Beach International Airport closed, and Daytona Beach International Airport announced it will also stop operating. The seventh busiest airport in the country, Orlando International Airport, was also closed. A state of emergency had been declared in 45 of Florida's 67 counties, according to DeSantis. "Pay attention to local officials & @FLSERT for updates as the storm approaches," he remarked.