Death toll from Hurricane Ian rises to 85 in US

The death toll from Hurricane Ian passed 80 on Sunday as residents of the stricken area in Florida and the Carolinas learned of damage expected to cost tens of billions of dollars to repair, and some officials faced criticism for their response to the storm. .

The death toll was expected to continue to rise as floodwaters receded and search teams advanced into areas initially isolated from the outside world. Hundreds of people were rescued as emergency teams searched homes and buildings that were flooded or completely destroyed.

At least 85 storm-related deaths have been confirmed since Ian hit Florida’s Gulf Coast with catastrophic force Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum winds of 240 km per hour.

The count shows that nearly all of the deaths were in Florida except four, with 42 counted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which bore the brunt of the storm as it made landfall, and 39 other deaths reported by officials in four neighboring counties. .

Officials in Lee, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral and is on the Gulf Coast, question whether they demanded the evacuation of the population in time.

Cecil Pendergrass, chairman of the county’s council of commissioners, said Sunday that since the county was predicted to be in the cone, or likely trail of the hurricane’s center, evacuation orders were given. Even so, some people chose to ride out the storm, Pendergrass said.

“I respect their choices,” he told a news conference. “But I’m sure many of them regret it now.”

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will see the devastation in Florida firsthand next Wednesday, the White House said in a statement Saturday. The Bidens will visit Puerto Rico on Monday, where hundreds of thousands of people were still without power two weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit the island.

Cuba is restoring power after Ian cut electricity to the entire country of 11 million people, destroyed homes and farmland.

North Carolina officials said at least four people were killed there. None were reported from South Carolina, where Ian made another US landing on Friday.

Crawling over the land ever since, Ian has slowed to an increasingly weak post-tropical cyclone.

The National Hurricane Center predicted heavier rainfall could hit parts of West Virginia and western Maryland early Sunday morning, and “important flooding to record” in central Florida.

See before and after Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Fort Myers Beach pier and nearby buildings were destroyed – Google Earth/Reproduction and Joe Raedle – 29.Sep.22/AFP

Total destruction

As the full scope of the devastation became clearer, officials said some of the heaviest damage was inflicted by wind-driven ocean waves that ravaged seaside communities and destroyed buildings.

Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed beach houses and a motel along the shores of Florida’s Sanibel Island that had been demolished by the storm. Although most of the houses appeared to still be standing, roof damage was evident.

Land surveys showed that Barreira Island, a popular tourist haven that was home to around 6,000 residents, was devastated.

“It’s all gone completely,” said Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza. “Our electrical system is practically destroyed, our sewage system has been seriously damaged and our public water supply is under evaluation.”

The island’s link to the mainland was severed by breaches in its bridge, further complicating recovery efforts, Souza said.

After abating to a tropical storm at the end of its march through Florida to the Atlantic, Ian regained hurricane strength and made landfall in South Carolina on Friday, sweeping the coast near Georgetown, just north of the historic port city. from Charleston.

Several roads were flooded and blocked by fallen trees, while several docks were damaged in this area.

More than 700,000 businesses and homes were without power on Sunday afternoon in Florida alone, where more than 2 million customers lost electricity on the first night of the storm.

Insurers are prepared to spend between $28 billion and $47 billion on claims in what could be the costliest storm in Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to US property data and analytics company CoreLogic.