storm ian lost strength on Saturday as it passed through southeast USA and is expected to dissipate overnight, after causing flooding in South Carolina and devastated much of Floridawhere he has left at least twenty dead.
(Read here: Florida: man died trying to drain his pool in the middle of Hurricane Ian)
The authorities of this state reported Friday night that the storm had left 23 deceaseds, although some media say that the figure is higher.
(See also: This is how a Colombian family experienced the terrifying passage of Hurricane Ian in Florida)
the television network CNN raises the figure to 45 dead. after razing FloridaIan arrived on Friday afternoon to South Carolina as a category 1 hurricane, with winds of up to 140 km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center (CNH).
It then weakened to a post-tropical storm. On Saturday morning, its winds reduced to about 50 km/h as it passed through North Carolina, reported the NHC.
Ian “should dissipate over south-central Virginia” by Saturday night, the center predicted, though the risk of “moderate” rainfall and flooding remains in central Los Appalachia and northeastern United States.
The US president, Joe Biden, urged citizens to heed the warning calls from local authorities, as in South Carolina, where they asked not to circulate on flooded roads.
“This is a dangerous storm that will bring strong winds and lots of water, but the most dangerous will be human error. Be smart, make good decisions, check on your loved ones and stay safe,” Governor Henry McMaster tweeted.
Some 575,000 homes and businesses were without power Friday night in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.according to the specialized website PowerOutage.
‘Historic’ damage in Florida
In Florida, in addition to the high number of human victims, material damage is “historic” due to unprecedented flooding, according to Governor Ron DeSantis.
On Friday, in Kissimmee, not far from Orlando, authorities were scouring the flooded areas in boats to rescue residents trapped in their homes. “We are just beginning to see the magnitude of the destruction … which is probably among the worst” in US history, Biden said.
“The reconstruction will take months, years,” he said. More than 1.4 million Florida customers were still without power Friday night, two days after Ian hit, according to PowerOutage.
terraces
In the coastal city of Fort Myers, the “epicenter” according to Ron DeSantisa handful of restaurants and bars had reopened and dozens of people were sitting on terraces, an image of apparent normality amid broken trees and destroyed houses.
It was terrible, but we got over it. The roof of our house was blown off, a big tree collapsed on our cars, our garden was flooded, but other than that everything is fine
“It was terrible, but we got over it. The roof of our house was blown off, a big tree fell on our cars, our yard was flooded, but other than that everything is fine,” said Dylan Gamber, 23.
According to early estimates, Hurricane Ian could cost insurers tens of billions of dollars and will weigh on growth in the United States, especially due to flight cancellations and damage to agricultural production.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the 17 passengers on a migrant boat that capsized Wednesday near the South Florida Keys.
According to a scientific study published on Friday, climate change increased the rains left by Ian by more than 10%.
“Climate change didn’t cause the hurricane, but it did make it wetter,” said Michael Wehner of the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the scientists involved in the study. Before Florida, Ian passed through Cuba, where he left three dead, extensive damage and power outages.
AFP
#Ian #weakens #southeastern #United #States #leaving #dead