UAE evacuates citizens in Florida as Hurricane Idalia leaves trail of devastation

Total of 34 Emiratis flown out of Tampa in Florida to safe neighbouring cities

A storm-damaged petrol station is seen after Hurricane Idalia crossed Florida. Getty Images

A storm-damaged McDonald's sign after Hurricane Idalia. Getty Images

A displaced building alongside flooding littered with debris in Horseshoe Beach. AP

The remains of a destroyed home in Keaton Beach following Hurricane Idalia. AP

A car hangs on the ledge of a channel full of debris after Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida. EPA

A child looks out the window of a car picking its way through Horseshoe Beach, surveying storm damage. AP

A view of debris littered in a canal after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, U. S. , August 30, 2023. REUTERS / Cheney Orr

An American flag sits in floodwater in Florida. Reuters

Jewell Baguette, 51, amid the wreckage of the home built by her grandfather, where she grew up. Three generations of her family have lived in the house. Reuters

Buddy Ellison, 39, surveys his now destroyed shrimping business after Hurricane Idalia. Reuters

A car attempts to travel on a flooded road in Tampa, Florida. AFP

Idalia barrelled into the north-west Florida coast as a powerful Category 3 hurricane. AFP

Residents use kayaks to travel on a flooded road in Tampa. AFP

A fire is seen as floodwaters inundate the Tarpon Springs city centre after Hurricane Idalia passed offshore. AFP

Floodwaters caused by Hurricane Idalia pour over the sea wall along Old Tampa Bay. AP

A man helps his neighbour carry a kayak on to his porch through flooded streets. AFP

A police car drives through heavy rains in Archer, Florida. AFP

Hurricane Idalia over Florida's Gulf Coast. NOAA / AP

A resident drives past a tree felled by high winds from Hurricane Idalia in Clearwater, Florida. Reuters

Interstate 275 is flooded over in Tampa Bay. FDOT / AP

The UAE evacuated its citizens in Florida to safer locations when Hurricane Idalia smashed into the US state's western coast, the Foreign Ministry has announced.

The UAE embassy in Washington flew 34 Emiratis out of the city of Tampa, state news agency Wam reported on Saturday.

Yousef Mana Al Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US, said the embassy had taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its citizens in Florida.

Sixteen were evacuated to Miami, while another 18 were flown to Atlanta, Georgia.

The UAE embassy urged resident citizens to stay away from areas affected by the hurricane and follow instructions issued by local authorities.

It also urged citizens to report and communicate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE in emergency cases through calling 00971 80024, in addition to registering with the Tawajodi app.

On Thursday evening Idalia developed into a post-tropical cyclone as it veered away from the US East Coast after ploughing through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas with significant rain.

The storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands after making rainfall on Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 storm, the strongest to hit Florida's coastal Big Bend region in more than a century.

More than 90,000 homes and businesses across several counties had reported power outages as of Friday, according to PowerOutages.us.

The US Hurricane Centre issued a tropical storm watch for Bermuda since the storm, right off North Carolina's coast, still featured maximum sustained winds of 100 kph.