Hurricane "Ian": So far 44 people have died - whereabouts of 10,000 people are still unclear
Created: 03/10/2022 04:53
By: Hannes Niemeyer
Hurricane Ian has caused devastation in the USA, and there have been a number of deaths.
And the exact number of victims is still unclear.
Is 'Ian' the 'Deadliest Hurricane in Florida History'?
Hurricane Ian
fatalities
: Authorities report 44
fatalities
Joe Biden
warns 'Could be deadliest storm in
Florida
history '
Severe devastation from hurricane "Ian": Several districts were cut off from the power grid, thousands of people were taken to emergency shelters
This
Hurricane Ian
news ticker
is
updated regularly
Update from October 2, 8:57 a.m .:
According to authorities, the death toll from Hurricane "Ian" in the US state of Florida has increased.
"There are now 44 deaths attributed to Hurricane Ian," the Florida District Medical Commission said on Saturday (local time).
According to the local sheriff, 35 fatalities were counted in Lee County alone, which was badly hit.
Television networks such as NBC and CBS reported more than 70 deaths related to the storm.
As of Saturday night, more than 900,000 homes in Florida and 45,000 in North Carolina and Virginia were still without power.
US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will visit Florida on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Twitter.
However, the couple will first travel to Puerto Rico on Monday to survey the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall in the US overseas territory a week earlier.
Hurricane Ian: number of missing still unclear
Update from October 1, 2:40 p.m .:
The clean-up work continues in Florida.
Rescuers are searching for people trapped or killed during the storm.
The number of missing is still unclear.
One of the reasons for this is that the authorities cannot reach many people.
According to the
Tampa Bay Times
, about 20,000 people filled out a questionnaire in advance, saying they would seek shelter on site, according to authorities.
But the emergency management authority in Florida could only reach half of these people.
The condition of 10,000 people is therefore still unclear.
"The fact that the state has not been able to reach them does not mean they are missing," Kevin Guthrie, director of the agency, told the newspaper.
These individuals may be missing, safe or unavailable at this time because they do not have access to a phone or electricity.
Hurricane Ian devastates Florida: 23 fatalities confirmed
Update from October 1, 8:25 a.m .:
The number of deaths from Hurricane "Ian" has now risen to 23 people.
Many of the victims drowned, said the Florida state security agency on Friday.
News channels report, with reference to the information provided by district officials, that the actual number of fatalities is significantly higher.
According to the television channel CNN, 45 people died as a result of the destructive cyclone.
The death toll is likely to increase in the coming days.
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Hurricane Ian devastates Florida: two million homes without power
Update from September 30, 6:22 p.m .:
After severe devastation from Hurricane “Ian” in Florida, the state is struggling with the massive storm damage.
Almost two million households are still without power, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in Tallahassee on Friday.
Several districts are largely cut off from the power grid, one district almost completely.
Thousands of people are housed in emergency shelters.
Florida authorities are currently estimating that at least 21 people have died from the storm.
However, there is still no clarity about these numbers, emphasized Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Emergency Management Authority.
The storm was meanwhile heading for the next coastal region and should hit the state of South Carolina on Friday.
An olive tree has fallen on a house in St. Petersburg, Florida.
© Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press/dpa
As a Category 4 hurricane, "Ian" made landfall in Florida on Wednesday with wind speeds of up to 240 kilometers per hour.
It left destruction and flooding in its wake across the southern state.
In many places in Florida, streets were under water, houses were razed, bridges were destroyed or boats washed ashore, as in Fort Myers.
Helicopter footage showed burning houses between flooded streets or properties from which the buildings were completely washed away.
On Key Largo, one of the islands in the Florida Keys chain of islands in the very south of the state, the water in the streets is so deep that crocodiles swim in them, according to the Miami Herald newspaper.
On Sanibel Island, the bridge connecting it to the mainland was destroyed.
DeSantis said the images of the devastation were at times depressing.
Update from September 30, 3:15 p.m .:
After the hurricane left Florida behind, the extent of the devastation and damage becomes visible.
Almost two million people are without electricity.
The bridges to Sanibel Island and Pine Island were damaged by "Ian" leaving no connection to the mainland.
The residents are stuck on the islands.
In Lee County, people don't have water, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Hurricane Ian hit the city of Fort Myers with full force.
© Joe Cavaretta/dpa
The city of Fort Myers was particularly hard hit by the hurricane.
The mayor said in an interview with CNN that the wind swept the boats away like toys.
The storm will hit South Carolina with much less force.
Still, the National Hurricane Center warns of "life-threatening storm surges" and "hurricane conditions."
Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for the state.
Hurricane "Ian" leaves devastation: 19 people have died so far - warning for the next state
Update from September 30, 12:22 p.m.:
Hurricane "Ian" is on its way to South Carolina and is expected to arrive there on Friday evening.
A hurricane warning only applies to the coast of South Carolina.
He is currently over the Atlantic.
As reported by CNN, the hurricane still has wind gusts of almost 140 km/h.
It has thus significantly decreased in strength and is only classified as a Category 1 storm.
Nevertheless, the authorities warn of flash floods and severe flooding.
North Carolina and Southwest Virginia are also gearing up for "Ian."
Heavy rains are expected there.
imago0170202370h.jpg © Crystal Vander Weit/IMAGO
In the US state of Florida, the hurricane arrived as a Category 4 storm.
The hurricane left a great deal of devastation in Florida.
Millions of homes and businesses are without power, and some parts of the state are flooded.
The river flooding is expected to continue until next week.
Authorities have now reported a total of 19 deaths related to the Florida hurricane.
Ian could be 'deadliest hurricane in Florida history' - and remains 'life-threatening'
Miami – Hurricanes are not uncommon in the USA, but the people of Florida have certainly rarely experienced a hurricane of this magnitude.
Hurricane Ian has swept across the United States.
And left a trail of devastation in its wake that is second to none.
In addition to a number of destroyed buildings and areas of land, the number of fatalities in connection with the storm is also increasing.
As the US broadcaster CNN and representatives of various local authorities reported on Thursday, at least twelve people were killed by the devastating storm.
After "Ian" temporarily weakened to a tropical storm, the US Hurricane Center NHC later reclassified it as a hurricane and continued to warn of "life-threatening, catastrophic" storm surges, strong winds and rain.
The storm was moving towards South Carolina.
Hurricane Ian continues to create a "life-threatening" situation: one of the strongest storms ever
The hurricane is one of the strongest storms to ever hit the United States.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was too early to estimate how many people actually died as a result of the hurricane.
According to him, hundreds of people were still dependent on help from rescue workers.
The hurricane continued to move towards the states of Georgia and South and North Carolina on Thursday evening.
The entire coastal region of South Carolina and parts of Georgia and North Carolina were affected by the NHC's hurricane warning.
According to the NHC, the storm could strengthen again before making landfall.
It will likely "weaken rapidly" over the southeastern United States on Friday night.
Joe Biden on Hurricane Ian: Could be 'deadliest hurricane in Florida history'
"Ian" had reached Florida on Wednesday afternoon with wind speeds of 240 kilometers per hour and caused severe devastation there.
Numerous buildings were destroyed, trees and power lines fell.
Flooding and destruction were mainly reported from the cities of Fort Myers and Naples.
An alleged shark video from Fort Myers caused a stir.
Heavy destruction: Hurricane Ian raged in Florida.
© IMAGO/THOM BAUR
Whole neighborhoods in Naples were flooded.
TV pictures from there showed completely flooded streets with cars drifting.
Rescue workers were deployed in various areas with helicopters and boats to rescue people trapped by the water masses.
According to the website
poweroutage.us
, more than 2.6 million homes and businesses were without power.
US President Joe Biden warned on Thursday that it could be the "deadliest hurricane in Florida history": the death toll is still "unclear" but there could be "significant loss of life".
Hurricane Ian leaves trail of devastation in its wake: feared damage of 'historic proportions'
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke of damage of "historic" proportions and flooding that only occurs "every 500 years".
"We have never seen such a flood," said the conservative politician.
"We've never seen a storm surge of this magnitude." Some areas, like the city of Fort Myers on Florida's southwest coast, were "really flooded, really devastated by this storm."
In the run-up to the hurricane, experts had issued dramatic warnings, and a mandatory evacuation order applied to 2.5 million Florida residents.
National Weather Service chief Ken Graham called Ian a storm "we'll be talking about for years to come."
Air traffic at Tampa and Orlando airports has been suspended.
A hurricane hunter described his flight into the eye of the storm as the "worst of my career".
Hurricane Ian-level hurricanes: Favored by global warming
At least two people had already died in the hurricane in Cuba.
The storm caused a nationwide power outage in the Caribbean country on Tuesday.
By Wednesday, power was restored in parts of the capital Havana and several provinces.
However, the hardest-hit regions in the west of the country remained in the dark.
According to scientists, human-caused global warming is leading to an increase in the number and intensity of tropical storms and cyclones.
Studies also suggest a link between climate change and an extremely rapid intensification of tropical storms, with a relatively weak tropical storm reaching hurricane category 3 or greater within 24 hours.
(han/AFP)
