As Florida's death toll rises, Ian lashes out at South Carolina
As Florida's death toll rises, Ian lashes out at South Carolina
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Florida: On Friday, a resurgent Hurricane Ian devastated coastal South Carolina after a severe storm devastated Florida, leaving thousands trapped in their homes and killing at least 27.

The powerful hurricane, estimated to be one of the costliest storms to hit the United States, pounded western Cuba and ravaged across Florida before gathering strength in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and striking South Carolina. has terrified the people. ,

While Ian's center made landfall on Friday with very weak winds near Georgetown, South Carolina, when it crossed Florida's Gulf Coast earlier in the week, the storm submerged much of Charleston's downtown peninsula. Parts of four gorges along the coast were also washed away, including two at Myrtle Beach.

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According to online cameras, seawater was filling up to calf level in the Garden City neighborhood. Ian later weakened from a hurricane to a tropical cyclone as it moved into South Carolina on its way to North Carolina on Friday evening.

Ian wreaked havoc in Florida, flooding areas on both coasts, tearing homes from their foundations, demolishing beachfront businesses, and leaving more than 2 million people out of power.

Even though the hurricane system had passed over Florida, new problems emerged on Friday night. Due to the amount of water in the Myakka River, the 14-mile (22-kilometre) section of Interstate 75 in Port Charlotte was closed in both directions.

Several deaths were caused by drowning, including that of a 68-year-old woman who was swept into the sea by a wave. A 67-year-old man, who was waiting to be rescued, died after falling into rising water inside his house, officials said.

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A 22-year-old woman died after her ATV rolled over from a washing machine on the road, and a 71-year-old man died after falling from a roof while installing rain shutters. An 80-year-old woman and a 94-year-old man who were dependent on others

Earlier this week, three other people were killed in a tornado that struck Cuba in a northerly direction. The death toll was expected to rise significantly once emergency personnel reached the hardest-hit areas.

After the storm, rescuers rigged boats and moved through river roads in Florida to rescue thousands of people trapped in flooded homes and broken buildings.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that workers went door-to-door to more than 3,000 homes in the worst-affected areas.

"It has been a difficult endeavor," he said at a news conference in Tallahassee.

According to disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & ​​Co., which regularly releases flash catastrophe estimates, Hurricane Ian has potentially caused "more than $100 billion" in damage, including $63 billion in privately insured damages. Huh. If these figures are correct, Ian would be the fourth costliest hurricane in US history.

According to Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, first responders have focused on "early" searches for the purpose of emergency rescue and initial assessment, which will be followed by two additional waves of searches. Citing the case of a submerged house as an example, he said on Friday that initial responders found possible remains, were discarding them without verifying them.

The water was on the roof, but we had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer who swam in and identified it as human remains. "We don't know how many," Guthrie said.

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Desperate to find and save their loved ones, social media users posted phone numbers, addresses and photos of family members and friends online so that anyone could check.

Orlando residents returned to flooded homes on Friday, taking off their pants to traverse knee-high mud in their streets. Ramon Rodriguez's friends delivered ice, bottled water and hot coffee to the entrance of his subdivision, where 10 of 50 homes were flooded and the street was a lake. There was neither electricity nor food in his house, and his car was stuck in the water.

"Water is everywhere," Rodriguez said. "The situation here is appalling."
The devastating storm destroyed several old homes on Sanibel, Florida's barrier island, and caused cracks in its sand dunes. There was no damage to the tall condominium buildings, but the floor below was blown up. Trees and electric poles were scattered.

Municipal rescuers, private teams, and the Coast Guard used boats and helicopters to evacuate residents who stayed for the storm but were cut off from the mainland when a causeway collapsed on Friday.

Volunteers who arrived on the island by personal watercraft assisted in escorting an elderly couple to a location where Coast Guard rescuers transported them aboard a helicopter.

Ian regained strength Thursday evening over the Atlantic after weakening to a tropical storm while crossing the Florida peninsula. Ian made landfall in South Carolina with sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kph). It was a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds when it made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday (240 kph).

Will Shalosky examined a large elm tree in front of his house that had fallen across his downtown street after the heaviest rainfall blew through Charleston. He pointed out that the damage could have been much worse.

"If this tree had fallen in a different way, it would have ended up in our house," Shalosky explained. "It's quite frightening and startling."
On Friday evening, Ian's heavy rains and winds made their way into North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents to be cautious, predicting up to 8 inches (20.3 centimetres) of rain in some areas.

Hurricane Ian is knocking on our door. "Over the majority of our state, expect drenching rain and sustained high winds," Cooper said. "Today's message is simple: Be smart and stay safe."

President Joe Biden stated in Washington that "every possible action will be taken to save lives and get help to survivors."
"It will take months, if not years, to rebuild," Biden said.

"I just want the people of Florida to know that we understand what you're going through and that we're rooting for you."

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