Hurricane Ian rips aside piers, floods South Carolina after damaging Florida

A revived Hurricane Ian pounded coastal South Carolina on Friday, ripping aside piers and flooding streets after the ferocious storm brought on catastrophic harm in Florida, trapping 1000’s of their properties and leaving at the least 17 folks useless.

The highly effective storm, estimated to be one of many costliest hurricanes ever to hit the U.S., has terrorized folks for a lot of the week — pummeling western Cuba and raking throughout Florida earlier than gathering power within the heat waters of the Atlantic Ocean to curve again and strike South Carolina.

While Ian’s heart got here ashore close to Georgetown, South Carolina, on Friday with a lot weaker winds than when it crossed Florida’s Gulf Coast earlier within the week, the storm left many areas of Charleston’s downtown peninsula beneath water. It additionally washed method components of 4 piers alongside the coast, together with two at Myrtle Beach.

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Online cameras confirmed seawater filling neighborhoods in Garden City to calf degree. As Ian moved throughout South Carolina on its option to North Carolina Friday night, it dropped from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone.

Ian left a broad swath of destruction in Florida, flooding areas on each of its coasts, tearing properties from their slabs, demolishing beachfront companies and leaving greater than 2 million folks with out energy.

A ship displaced by Hurricane Ian rests atop a automotive in Fort Myers Beach. (AP Photo)

Many of the deaths have been drownings, together with that of a 68-year-old lady swept away into the ocean by a wave. A 67-year-old man who was ready to be rescued died after falling into rising water inside his house, authorities mentioned.

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Other storm-related fatalities included a 22-year-old lady who died after an ATV rollover from a street washout and a 71-year-old man who fell off a roof whereas placing up rain shutters. An 80-year-old lady and a 94-year-old man who relied on oxygen machines additionally died after the tools stopped working throughout energy outages.

Another three folks died in Cuba earlier within the week because the storm churned northward. The demise toll was anticipated to extend considerably as soon as emergency officers have a chance to go looking most of the hardest-hit areas.

Rescue crews piloted boats and waded by means of riverine streets in Florida after the storm to avoid wasting 1000’s of individuals trapped amid flooded properties and shattered buildings.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis mentioned Friday that crews had gone door-to-door to over 3,000 properties within the hardest-hit areas.

“There’s really been a Herculean effort,” he mentioned throughout a information convention in Tallahassee.

Hurricane Ian has probably brought on “well over $100 billion” in harm, together with $63 billion in privately insured losses, in keeping with the catastrophe modeling agency Karen Clark & Company, which recurrently points flash disaster estimates. If these numbers are borne out, that may make Ian at the least the fourth costliest hurricane in U.S. historical past.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie mentioned first responders have centered up to now on “hasty” searches, geared toward emergency rescues and preliminary assessments, which will likely be adopted by two extra waves of searches. Initial responders who come throughout doable stays are leaving them with out confirming, he mentioned Friday, describing for instance the case of a submerged house.

“The water was up over the rooftop, right, but we had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he could identify that it appeared to be human remains. We do not know exactly how many,” Guthrie mentioned.

Desperate to find and rescue their family members, social media customers shared cellphone numbers, addresses and photographs of their members of the family and pals on-line for anybody who can examine on them.

Orlando residents returned to flooded properties Friday, rolling up their pants to wade by means of muddy, knee-high water of their streets. Friends of Ramon Rodriguez dropped off ice, bottled water and scorching espresso on the entrance to his subdivision, the place 10 of the 50 properties have been flooded and the street regarded like a lake. He had no energy or meals at his home, and his automotive was trapped by the water.

“There’s water everywhere,” Rodriguez mentioned. “The situation here is pretty bad.”

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The devastating storm surge destroyed many older properties on the barrier island of Sanibel, Florida, and gouged crevices into its sand dunes. Taller condominium buildings have been intact however with the underside flooring blown out. Trees and utility poles have been strewn all over the place.

Municipal rescuers, personal groups and the Coast Guard used boats and helicopters Friday to evacuate residents who stayed for the storm after which have been lower off from the mainland when a causeway collapsed. Volunteers who went to the island on private watercraft helped escort an aged couple to an space the place Coast Guard rescuers took them aboard a helicopter.

Hours after weakening to a tropical storm whereas crossing the Florida peninsula, Ian regained power Thursday night over the Atlantic. Ian made landfall in South Carolina with most sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph). When it hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday, it was a strong Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph (240 kph).

After the heaviest of the rainfall blew by means of Charleston, Will Shalosky examined a big elm tree in entrance of his home that had fallen throughout his downtown avenue. He famous the harm may have been a lot worse.

“If this tree has fallen a different way, it would be in our house,” Shalosky mentioned. “It’s pretty scary, pretty jarring.”

Ian’s heavy rains and winds crossed into North Carolina on Friday night. Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents to be vigilant, provided that as much as 8 inches (20.3 centimeters) of rain may fall in some areas

“Hurricane Ian is at our door. Expect drenching rain and sustained heavy winds over most of our state,” Cooper mentioned. “Our message today is simple: Be smart and be safe.”

In Washington, President Joe Biden mentioned he was directing “every possible action be taken to save lives and get help to survivors.”

“It’s going to take months, years to rebuild,” Biden mentioned.

“I just want the people of Florida to know, we see what you’re going through and we’re with you.”

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