Newsman: Hurricane Ian took at least 87 lives in the United States. Ian has been likened to an “A-bomb” and about 10,000 people remain unaccounted for, although the authorities believe many are likely to be in shelters or without power. The one of the strongest and most costliest hurricanes in American history is now headed north. The National Hurricane Centre said the storm was now dissipating across southern Virginia and could reach Washington DC. “Treacherous” conditions are still forecast throughout this weekend for large swathes of the east coast – including New York, New Jersey and Washington DC.
Authorities in Florida and South Carolina left assessing the damage with rescuers desperately searching for survivors among the ruins of flooded homes. North Carolina reports 4 deaths due to Ian And Florida’s death toll has climbed to at least 81, according to information from local officials. The storm washed away parts of four piers along the coast, including two connected to the popular tourist town of Myrtle Beach. On Saturday, more than 63,000 homes and businesses in the state were still without power.
The monster storm left Over 1.05 million people without power in Florida days after Hurricane Ian tore through the state. Another 56,800 customers are without power in North Carolina and more than 17,000 are in the dark in Virginia after Ian and its remnants moved north. More than 1,100 Floridians have been rescued by the Florida National Guard in the wake of Hurricane Ian, according to state officials.The rescues include 1,076 people evacuated from flooded areas in southwest and central Florida as of Saturday morning, as well as 78 people transported from a flooded nursing home facility, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said in a press release.
Hurricane Ian’s winds and coastal surges have terrorized millions of people for through the week. although it has now been slightly downgraded to a cyclone, but officials have warned the storm is still dangerous.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Puerto Rico on Monday, and Florida on Wednesday to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian, respectively, the White House announced Saturday night.
Biden had previously said he would visit Florida to see the destruction in person, and that it was his “intention” to do the same for Puerto Rico.
The monster storm Ian made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in South Carolina on Friday afternoon. And made its first U.S. landfall on Wednesday on Florida’s west coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, shredding homes with ferocious winds topping 150 mph. ‘It’s a different Sanibel,’ mayor says
Florida’s Lee County, which encompasses Fort Myers, accounts for the majority of the fatalities, with at least 35 lives lost in the county, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
In Charlotte County, which is home to Punta Gorda, the preliminary death toll is 23, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News.
Other fatalities were reported in Sarasota, Volusia, Lake, Collier, Hendry and Manatee counties.
Despite the “complete devastation” in Lee County, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Saturday that “there’s light at the end of the tunnel. … We are going to be stronger than ever.”
“We are one big family together. That’s what makes us great. And sometimes these horrific events bring us all together for us to move forward,” Marceno said.
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Governor Ron DeSantis said SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk had agreed to provide the company’s satellite internet service Starlink to all those without connectivity trying to get help or reunite with loved ones.
Celebrities are also beginning to donate to a disaster relief fund.
American football star Tom Brady, who now plays for the Florida-based Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tweeted that he would be contributing to the Florida Disaster Fund, and urged other NFL players to do the same.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, residents have taken to the streets of the capital Havana in protest at ongoing blackouts since its direct hit five days ago.
It has now been reported a new weather system is heading to Mexico’s northwestern Pacific coast.
The US National Hurricane Center said Orlene had grown to hurricane strength and was heading for an expected landfall early next week with winds of 75mph.
