After battering Florida, Hurricane Ian makes landfall in South Carolina

The eye of Hurricane Ian made landfall Friday in South Carolina, accompanied by winds of up to 140 km / h, after devastating areas of Florida, announced the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, according to the same source.

President Joe Biden urged, just before the arrival of the storm, the inhabitants of this state to listen to the calls for caution from the local authorities.

Ian is expected to bring high winds, torrential rains and dangerous rising waters after devastating parts of Florida.

The human toll of its passage through Florida was still very preliminary, with authorities reporting 21 deaths, 20 of which were

, i.e. it had not yet been established whether they were directly caused by the hurricane. .

As for the material toll, it is

for Florida, the level reached by the rising waters being unprecedented, according to the governor of this state in the south-east of the country, Ron DeSantis.

Streets and homes were flooded and boats moored in marinas were tossed onto land by the storm.

On Friday, in Kissimmee, not far from Orlando, the authorities crossed the flooded areas in boats to rescue residents trapped in their homes.

Cost to economy

President Joe Biden spoke again Friday with Ron DeSantis to review the response to the disaster and say

according to his spokeswoman Karine Jean- Rock.

Downgraded to category 1, Ian carries gusts blowing up to 140 km / h and threatens

the coasts of South and North Carolina, according to the latest bulletin from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), which placed the entire coast from Georgia to North Carolina on hurricane alert.

After his stint in South Carolina, Ian should

progressing inland between Friday and Saturday, according to the organization.

In Florida, authorities and residents were inspecting the damage on Friday.

In Florida, authorities and residents were inspecting the damage on Friday.

JIM WATSON / AFP

According to initial estimates, the passage of Hurricane Ian could cost insurers up to 47 billion dollars.

JIM WATSON / AFP

“The images of destroyed houses in Fort Myers Beach are very disturbing, and it is really the epicenter but it has been such a strong storm that there is also damage inland,”

said Friday the Governor of Florida at a press conference.

As of Friday morning, around 1.9 million people remained without power, he added.

According to initial estimates, the passage of Hurricane Ian could cost insurers up to 47 billion dollars and will weigh on American growth, due in particular to power cuts, flight cancellations and damage to production. agricultural.

Joe Biden has indicated that he wants to go to Florida as soon as possible but also to the American territory of Puerto Rico, recently devastated by the

.

Read alsoFlorida: Hurricane Ian makes landfall, one million homes without electricity and “catastrophic flooding”

At the same time, the search continued to find 17 passengers of a migrant boat which capsized on Wednesday near the archipelago of the Keys.

According to a first rapid study by American scientists made public on Friday, the rains linked to Hurricane Ian have increased by at least 10% due to climate change.

, explained Michael Wehner, of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, dependent on the American federal department of energy, one of the scientists having taken part in this study.

As the surface of the oceans warms, the frequency of the most intense hurricanes, with stronger winds and greater precipitation, increases, but not the total number of hurricanes.

Before Florida, Ian had hit Cuba, killing three people and causing extensive damage and leaving many homes without power.