© Reuters. A destroyed car is seen in Matanzas Pass after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., October 1, 2022. REUTERS / Marco Bello
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By Brad Brooks
MIAMI (Reuters) – The remnants of Hurricane Ian swept over Virginia early on Sunday morning, while hurricane-ravaged residents of Florida and the Carolinas faced recovery from the expected disaster. will cost tens of billions of dollars.
The storm’s death toll is expected to rise as floodwaters recede and search teams have pushed further into areas initially cut off from the outside world, where hundreds have been rescued. .
At least 53 hurricane-related deaths have been confirmed since Ian hit Florida’s Gulf coast Wednesday with catastrophic strength Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with dark sustained winds. 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour).
Florida accounted for most of the deaths, with 42 counted by the sheriff’s office in coastal Lee County, which bore the brunt of the storm as it made landfall, and 11 other deaths reported by officials. state authorities in four neighboring counties reported.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will witness the devastation in Florida first-hand on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement Saturday. The Bidens will visit Puerto Rico on Monday, where hundreds of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after Hurricane Fiona made landfall on the island.
Cuba is restoring power after Ian cut power to the country of 11 million people, razed homes and wiped out agricultural fields.
North Carolina authorities said at least four people were killed there. No deaths were immediately reported in South Carolina, where Ian made another US landing on Friday.
From there moving over land, Ian subsided into a storm following a weakening tropical cyclone.
The National Hurricane Center said additional heavy rainfall is possible over parts of West Virginia and western Maryland Sunday morning, even as “record major flooding” is forecast to continue in the central region. Florida center.
WASHED
As the full extent of the devastation became more apparent a few days after Ian struck, officials said some of the heaviest damage was caused by violent waves caused by winds blowing into coastal communities and wash away buildings.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite images show beach cottages and a motel along the coast of Florida’s Sanibel Island that were destroyed by storm surge. . Although most of the houses appear to be still standing, the damage to the roof is obvious.
Surveys from the ground show that the barrier island, a popular tourist getaway home to about 6,000 residents, has been completely devastated, from its infrastructure to its aesthetic features. its idyllic fame.
“It’s all just completely gone,” said Sanibel’s city manager, Dana Souza. “Our electrical system is pretty much destroyed, our sewer system has been badly damaged and our public water supply is being evaluated.”
The island’s link to the mainland was severed due to breaches to Sanibel’s causeway, Souza said, further complicating restoration efforts.
After weakening to a tropical storm late in his march through Florida into the Atlantic, Ian regained hurricane strength and hit coastal South Carolina on Friday, sweeping ashore near Georgetown, east north of the historic port city of Charleston, with sustained winds reaching 85 mph (140 km/h).
Many roads were flooded and blocked by fallen trees while several piers were damaged in that area.
Even as they face the staggering amount of utility repairs and debris removal, authorities are still busy searching for the missing.
According to the state’s director of emergency management, as of Friday, about 10,000 people have been reported as unoccupied in Florida. He said many of them may have simply been displaced and could not be contacted due to power outages and outages.
At Sanibel, the crews had just sailed to the hard-hit eastern end of that island on Saturday, “so our situation is that we’re still in search and rescue mode.” , the city manager, Souza, said.
City officials were aware of nearly 300 households who were unable to leave the island as the storm approached and their whereabouts and condition are currently being checked, he said.
More than 780,000 businesses and homes remained without power on Sunday afternoon alone in Florida, where more than 2 million customers lost power on the first night of the storm.
In central Florida, massive flooding from rain-swept rivers and runoff occurs far more extensive than wind damage.
According to US real estate data and analytics firm CoreLogic, insurers are bracing for claims ranging from $28 billion to $47 billion from what could be the costliest Florida hurricane since. after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Read more:
Map-Hurricane Ian hits the Gulf Coast
Drone video shows boats washed ashore after Hurricane Ian
A Florida town rebuilt after one storm endured another
Storm hunter says flight through Ian’s eyeglasses was ‘worst I’ve ever been on’
How hurricanes cause dangerous, destructive storms
