A man collects empty cans at the seafront ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Ian in Havana, Cuba, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Hurricane Ian is expected to hammer western Cuba late in the day with heavy winds and rain and a potentially life-threatening storm surge after strengthening overnight from a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday. "Devastating wind damage is possible where the core of Ian moves across western Cuba," the center said. The U.S. hurricane center said the highest risk of life-threatening storm surge would occur along Florida's western coast from Fort Myers to the Tampa Bay region. In Cuba, officials have placed the island's western provinces under a hurricane alert and have announced plans for allocating food and evacuating people from low-lying areas.

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