Tallahassee/Washington After wreaking havoc in Florida, Hurricane Ian is heading toward the nearest US coast. With wind speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, he set course for South Carolina on Thursday (local time). The US hurricane center also warned of dangerous storm surges in the states of North Carolina and Georgia.
“Ian” made landfall on Wednesday as one of the strongest hurricanes in Florida history, bringing violent winds, heavy rain, storm surges and flooding with it. The hurricane moved across the state. Video images showed destroyed houses and bridges, flooded streets and numerous boats washed ashore.
Authorities held back on Thursday with estimates of the alleged death toll – but had no doubt that the hurricane had cost lives. “We absolutely expect there to be fatalities,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday night. So far, however, there are no confirmed figures. US President Joe Biden expressed dire fears: “This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history.”
In more than 700 cases, people in need have been rescued, DeSantis said. Among other things, the Coast Guard used helicopters to rescue people from the roofs of houses. More than 2.6 million homes were without power, and more than 350,000 had power restored as of Thursday, the governor said. On Sanibel Island, the bridge connecting it to the mainland was destroyed.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Authorities warned residents of flooded areas about dangers in the water such as pollutants from the sewage system, chemicals – or even alligators. Broken electricity and gas lines could also cost lives. Helicopter footage showed burning houses between flooded streets or properties from which the buildings were completely washed away. In Fort Meyer, heavy concrete blocks landed from a pier between apartment buildings.
Jake Moses and Heather Jones walk down a devastated street in Fort Myers Beach.
(Photo: AP)
“The impact of this storm is historic,” Ron DeSantis said Thursday. “And the damage that has occurred is historic.” This is only based on initial assessments, the full extent will only be foreseeable in the coming days. “We’ve never seen flooding like this before,” DeSantis said. “We have never seen a storm surge of this magnitude.” In some places it will take years to rebuild what the storm destroyed or damaged. “This is going to be a very, very long process.”
Mercedes and Boeing want to temporarily close their factories in the eastern United States because of the hurricane. “Due to the potential impact on the greater Charleston area and to ensure the safety of our employees, our Ladson, South Carolina plant will be closed on Friday,” a spokeswoman for the automaker said on Thursday.
The US aircraft manufacturer says it intends to close its factories from Thursday evening to Saturday. It is assumed that operations can be resumed from Sunday. The seaports in Charleston and Georgetown, which are important for suppliers, will also close all terminals on Friday, according to the Port Authority of South Carolina.
Millions of people without electricity
When it hit the west coast of Florida, the hurricane with wind speeds of up to 240 kilometers per hour was just below the threshold for the highest hurricane category. Ian weakened to a tropical storm en route through Florida, but grew back to a force one hurricane over the ocean.
Biden expressed concern on Thursday in Washington during a visit to the headquarters of the US civil protection agency Fema: “The number of victims is still unclear, but we are hearing the first reports of potentially significant loss of life.” He also warned that the situation was after still dangerous. “We continue to experience deadly rains, catastrophic storm surges, flooded streets and houses,” he said. “We see millions of people without power – and thousands sheltering in schools and community centers.”
The hurricane left many destroyed homes in its wake.
(Photo: AP)
Fema director Deanne Criswell said, “Hurricane Ian will be a storm that we’ll be talking about for decades to come.” There is still no precise assessment of the damage. “But it will be catastrophic.” Your agency is preparing for the fact that thousands of families will not be able to return to their homes and will need temporary accommodation.
Carmine Marceno, the sheriff of Lee County, one of the hardest-hit regions on Florida’s southwest coast, told CNN that thousands of emergency calls were received in the county overnight. However, some areas are not yet accessible to rescue workers. “We were hit very, very hard.”
More: FBI searches Trump’s home in Florida and gains access to safe