Hurricane ‘Ian’ heads towards South Carolina with renewed force after devastating Florida

After the devastating passage through Florida, where it has caused historic floods and a number of victims yet to be determined -at the moment, local authorities report 17-, the hurricane ‘Ian‘ threatens this Friday to the states of South Carolina and of Northwhere forecasters say it can cause severe storm surge.

‘Ian’ has regained strength as it re-emerged into the Atlantic Ocean and, if during its journey through Florida it weakened until it was classified as a tropical storm, it now returns to the category of a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Friday. of USA. “Torrential rain and flooding are expected in the Carolinas and southwestern Virginia,” the NHC said.

Considered one of the most powerful hurricanes that the United States has suffered, it forced the rescue of hundreds of people in Florida, according to the governor Ron DeSantis, according to which it is still too early to establish a balance of deaths. President Joe Biden stated along the same lines: “This could be the deadliest hurricane in the history of Florida,” he said before remarking that although the figures “are not yet clear,” “a substantial loss of life” is feared. .

alerts

The NHC issued a hurricane warning for the entire coast of South Carolina and for parts of Georgia and North Carolina. ‘Ian’ is forecast to make landfall this Friday and weaken rapidly as it moves inland between Friday night and Saturday.

In the town of Fort Myers, Florida, where ‘Ian’ arrived as a category 4 hurricane (on a scale of five), rising waters submerged some boats in the port and pushed others into downtown streets.

A US Coast Guard official said Thursday that he was carrying out helicopter rescue operations to help people who had had to climb onto the roofs of their homes flooded by the hurricane.

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Part of Florida homes or businesses remained without light as a consequence of Ian’s passage. According to the specialized site PowerOutage, 2.1 million homes remained without electricity in this state this Friday.

In Cuba, the electricity was gradually returning after the total blackout left by Hurricane Ian, which caused at least two deaths before heading towards the coast of the United States.