Hurricane damage in US: Path of devastation, at least 50 dead

Hurricane Ian caused heavy damage. At least 50 deaths have now been confirmed. However, search teams have not been able to reach all the affected areas so far. 10,000 people are still missing.

Three days after Hurricane Ian hit the US coast in the US state of Florida, the extent of the damage is evident. The number of confirmed deaths has risen to at least 50. However, search teams are yet to penetrate all the affected areas.

About 10,000 people are missing, said Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s emergency manager. “This is going to be the worst hurricane in Florida history,” US President Joe Biden expressed deep fears.

About 1.2 million households were without power in Florida on Saturday, and 300,000 homes were still without power in the states of South and North Carolina and Virginia.

“Ian” hit South Carolina with winds of 140 kilometers per hour

“Ian” made landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a category four hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph. It caused destruction and flooding across the southern state.

After that, “Ian” initially moved out to sea, where it gained some strength and hit the South Carolina coast on Friday with sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour, a category five hurricane.

Television images showed completely flooded streets and a partially destroyed pier. Trees fell and power lines snapped. According to analytics firm CoreLogic, insurers expect losses of between $28 billion and $47 billion.

The danger has not gone away

In neighboring North Carolina alone, where “Ian” moved, Civil Defense spoke of about 300,000 power outages. “Ian” has since weakened to a tropical cyclone. The National Hurricane Center says the danger is far from over. Storm surge and strong winds are expected to continue in North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, it said.

On Tuesday, “Ian” was the third of five hurricanes to make landfall in Cuba and cause severe damage there. At least three people died, according to the government. Most of the Caribbean state was without power on Friday.