Florida death toll rises as deadly Hurricane Ian lashes South Carolina
News, US October 1, 2022 No Comments on Florida death toll rises as deadly Hurricane Ian lashes South CarolinaAt least 31 people have died in the U.S. after Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida’s western coast with record storm surge flooding, officials said. The death toll was expected to increase as officials continue to search for more people.
The devastating hurricane Ian made landfall on coastal South Carolina on Friday with heavy rain, destructive winds, and life-threatening storm surge after leaving behind a trail of apocalyptic destruction in Florida. The governors of Georgia and South Carolina declared states of emergency.
Ian landed in Florida as a strong Category 4 hurricane and struck South Carolina Friday as a Category 1 storm. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the storm is not as bad as it could have been but urged people not to let their guard down yet. “We are not out of the woods yet, there is water on the roads, still heavy winds, and it is still dangerous in many parts of the state,” he said.
President Joe Biden continued to pledge federal support for Florida and South Carolina after the devastation caused by the storm, which he said was “likely to rank among the worst… in the nation’s history.”
“It’s not just a crisis for Florida. It’s an American crisis,” Biden said. “My message to the people of South Carolina is simple: Please listen to all of the warnings and directions from local officials, and follow their instructions.”
“We’re just beginning to see the scale of that destruction,” Biden said, adding that “It’s going to take months, years to rebuild.”
More than 2 million customers in Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina are without power
More than 2 million customers in the Southeast have lost power as Hurricane Ian continues to pummel in the region. Ian left a broad swath of destruction in Florida, flooding areas, tearing homes, demolishing beachfront businesses, and leaving more than 2 million people without power. More than 211,000 people have lost power in South Carolina and nearly 82,000 in North Carolina are in the dark.
Florida Power & Light electric utility said it had restored power for more than half of those affected, but warned of continued outages in the southwest as the recovery work was “hampered by extensive flooding, storm surge, downed trees, and other debris in the area and roadways”.
Scenes of devastation from Florida
Striking videos and photos emerging from Florida have captured the level of devastation across the state. Rescue crews and boats waded through inundated streets to save thousands of Floridians trapped in flooded homes. Ian will go down in history as one of the worst storms to hit the state, said Florida Governo Ron DeSantis, after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, 1992 Hurricane Andrew, and 2018 Hurricane Michael.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Ian across Florida is one of the strongest storms ever to hit the United States. The total damage and economic loss of Hurricane Ian will be between $180 billion and $210 billion, according to AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.
Fort Myers in Florida saw some of the worst destruction when Ian hit the state and caused catastrophic flooding, destroyed countless homes, overturned small planes, and uprooted trees. “Everything floated,” said Marvis Long, 96, who lives in North Fort Meyers. “The water was coming in just like waves in here.”
Cubans protesting power outages after Hurricane Ian
In Cuba, residents continue to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which knocked out power across the country, leaving 11 million people in the dark. The power outage has prompted protests in the streets of Cuba’s capital as several hundred people demanded the restoration of electricity and aid to areas ravaged by Hurricane Ian. A total of 400 people gathered in the Cerro neighborhood shouting, “We want light, we want light!” and banging pots and pans, AP reported.
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