United States President Joe Biden admits that hurricane Ian could be the "deadliest" in Florida's history after fears of substantial loss of life due to a combination of powerful winds, rain, and storm surge.
There have already been reports of a dozen deaths related to the storm, flooded homes, cut off roadways, and millions of Florida residents left without power on Thursday. Hurricane Ian once again intensified into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean and headed toward South Carolina.
Hurricane Ian's Devastation
The hurricane made landfall on Wednesday afternoon in southwest Florida and was downgraded to a tropical storm. Throughout Thursday, the storm dropped heavy rain on the central and northeastern parts of the state.
However, it then intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday afternoon and is now expected to make a second landfall in South Carolina on Friday, said the National Hurricane Center. At least 15 people were reported to have died in the southwest and central Florida with at least 17 deaths being attributed to the storm in total.
There were at least eight or nine dead in Charlotte County, Florida, as per CNN. Charlotte County Commissioner Joseph Tiseo revealed the approximate casualties on Thursday afternoon. The Lee County sheriff said that roughly five people were believed to have lost their lives in the area.
In a statement, Emergency Management Director Bill Litton said that one person who was in hospice care died in Osceola County. Furthermore, a 72-year-old man in Deltona reportedly died overnight after going outside to drain his swimming pool during the powerful storm, said the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
According to Reuters, the situation comes as the president has approved federal disaster funds for nine Florida counties in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The White House added that more areas could be approved later as officials evaluate the damage following the brutal storm.
Rising Death Toll
The White House issued a statement ahead of President Biden's visit to FEMA headquarters on Thursday, saying that damage assessments were continuing in other areas affected by the storm.
The decision allows access to federal grants to help affected residents and business owners secure temporary housing, repair homes, get low-cost loans for uninsured property losses, and otherwise recover.
The announcement also allows local authorities and other groups to share the costs of removing debris. The approved funds were designated for the counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota.
President Biden is expected to visit Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian to monitor the situation. The Democrat said at the FEMA emergency management headquarters that when the conditions allow it, he would be traveling to the state. He also expressed his desire to visit Puerto Rico after the devastation left by Hurricane Fiona last week.
Biden argued that Hurricane Ian could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history, saying that still unclear, the reports suggest substantial loss of life. Authorities are expecting the death toll to rise as workers continue to conduct operations across the affected areas, DW News reported.
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