President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration in FloridaOn Thursday morning as Hurricane Ian. a tropical storm, which swept through the state in record storm surge and left homes devastated and millionsWithout power.
Record-breaking storm surge in some areasFlooding in Southwest Florida up to 155 mph wind gusts. Just shy of a Category 5 stormIan was a Category 4 storm that hit Florida, one of the strongest ever to hit. the southwestern part of the state. It raged through the central part of FloridaOn Wednesday and Thursday, you will be hammering the central and eastern partsEven though it was downgraded to tropical storm status early Thursday morning, the state still suffered flooding.
The death toll of the hurricane is unknown, though the county sheriff for Florida’s Lee County, one of the worst-hit areas, predicts that the death toll could be in the hundreds, and said that there are thousands of people waiting to be rescued — many of them stranded and unable to evacuate. Deanne Criswell, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator, said that there were are nine hospitals in Lee County that didn’t have water as of Thursday morning.
Biden’s emergency declaration unlocksFederal resources and funding for provisions such as temporary housing and property damage in nine counties. The White House could approve an emergency declaration in additional areas of the state, as the storm continues its northward path. into Georgia and the Carolinas.
The National Hurricane Center is expectingIan to restrengthen into a Category 1 hurricaneThursday and Friday The governors of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and VirginiaAll of them have preemptively declared a State of Emergency over the Storm.
Ian was likely worsenedby the climate crisis. Warmer water temperatures in the Atlantic “turbocharged” the storm, as The Associated Press wrote, allowing the storm to gain more strength at a faster pace than if the waters hadn’t been warmed by greenhouse gas effects. Climate experts believe that such conditions have almost certainly caused storms like Ian to become stronger and more frequent.
Yes, it is storm huntersExperts agree that Ian has been remarkable in many aspects. One hurricane hunter, Nick Underwood, notedIncredible amounts of lightning are visible around the eye storm, which is why there are so many had cycledAnd rapidlyAnd severely intensifiedThe storm on Tuesday night as it approached Florida.
*RARE* first person view of storm surge. This camera is located 6 feet above the ground at Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach FL. It is not clear how long it will continue to work. You’ll see it live only on @weatherchannel #Ian pic.twitter.com/WwHtvgVxjY
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022
According to PowerOutage.us approximately 2.6 millionFlorida customers were without power on Thursday morning. They were mostly located in the southwest of the state but spread to the east coast. Many people have lost power. access to waterOr are under boil advisories
Before the storm struck Florida, it made landfall in CubaWhere? it knocked out powerThe entire island was subject to winds gusting up to 125 miles per hour. Two people were confirmed dead.
