Hurricane Ian continues to wreak havoc in Florida, with the death toll rising.
It is being discussed whether reconstruction in the hard-hit areas makes sense.
The news ticker.
Hurricane
Ian
- hit
Florida
: Does Rebuilding Hard-hit Areas Make Sense?
Hurricane Ian hits
more states
: deaths in North Carolina and property damage in South Carolina.
Joe Biden
wants to visit affected areas: US President travels to Puerto Rico and Florida.
This
news ticker on Hurricane Ian is
updated
regularly
.
MIAMI - "Ian" made landfall in Florida last Wednesday (September 28) as a level four of five hurricane.
He left death and destruction in his wake across the state.
According to local authorities, around 80 people have died so far, according to the
New York Times
and
CBS
.
At least 42 people were killed in Lee County alone, where "Ian" hit land with winds of up to 150 miles per hour, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on Sunday.
Hurricane "Ian": debate about the point of expensive reconstruction in affected areas
The drama isn't quite over yet.
Water levels continued to rise in some towns in central Florida on Sunday, according to FEMA chief Deanne Criswell on US television.
This is one of the reasons why rescue efforts and clearance work are continuing in the affected areas.
The Coast Guard rescued more than 300 people, some from roofs and trees, and a good 80 pets with helicopters, among other things.
In all, more than 1,100 people were recovered alive, Governor Ron DeSantis said.
+
People stand on the destroyed bridge to Pine Island, Florida.
(photo from October 2nd)
© Gerald Herbert/dpa/picture alliance
The damage to property is also enormous, hundreds of thousands of households are still without electricity.
The authorities emphasized that the reconstruction will take months and sometimes even years.
This sparked a debate about whether expensive reconstruction in areas with severe storms made sense in the long term.
Fema boss Criswell said that strict building codes are necessary for buildings to be able to withstand the forces of nature.
Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson told
CBS
that new buildings have mostly survived the hurricane.
Hurricane "Ian": Deaths also in North Carolina and property damage in South Carolina
After Florida, "Ian" first went out to sea, regained some strength there and reached the coast of South Carolina on Friday with wind speeds of around 140 kilometers per hour.
A few hours later, the winds weakened to around 95 kilometers per hour.
The state was spared from deaths, said Governor Henry McMaster.
The power went out for more than 500,000 homes in South and North Carolina and Virginia, partly because falling trees severed the lines.
In North Carolina, however, even with weakened winds, "Ian" still cost four people their lives, as Governor Roy Cooper said.
level/category | wind force |
|---|---|
Tropical low | from 62 km/h |
tropical storm | 63 - 118 km/h |
Category 1 hurricane | 119 - 153 km/h |
Category 2 hurricane | 154 - 177km/h |
Category 3 hurricane | 178 - 208km/h |
Category 4 hurricane | 209 - 251km/h |
Category 5 hurricane | from 252 km/h |
The hurricane largely lost strength over the weekend.
Foothills caused rainfall on the US east coast as far as New York.
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Hurricane Ian: Joe Biden visits affected areas
US President Joe Biden will fly to Florida and Puerto Rico in the next few days to get an idea of the hurricane damage.
The White House announced that Biden would first travel to Puerto Rico, which was hit by Hurricane Fiona, on Monday.
Two weeks after the storm, some households are still without electricity.
About 90 percent of the failures have been fixed, said Fema boss Criswell.
Biden wants to travel to Florida on Wednesday.
The White House had announced that it would support those affected without flood insurance with up to $40,000.
List of rubrics: © Gerald Herbert/dpa/picture alliance
