The US President declared a “main catastrophe” in Florida as Hurricane Ian reportedly prompted “important lack of life”
Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida on Wednesday, could transform the “deadliest” storm within the southern state’s historical past, US President Joe Biden warned on Thursday.
Talking after a briefing with Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) officers, Biden mentioned that the variety of casualties remains to be unclear, however the early studies recommend that there “could also be substantial lack of life.”
“This may very well be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s historical past,” the US chief mentioned.
Earlier on Thursday, the president had declared a “main catastrophe” within the state, making federal funding out there to native authorities and organizations concerned in restoration efforts.
On Thursday morning, because the devastating hurricane barrelled by way of the state, leaving cities beneath water, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno mentioned that “fatalities are within the a whole lot.” 1000’s of individuals “are ready to be rescued,” the official mentioned, including the storm was “a life-changing occasion for all of us.”
Based on PowerOutage.us, the huge storm has already left greater than 2.6 million Florida residents with out electrical energy.
Florida Energy & Mild firm mentioned that as a result of “catastrophic winds,” elements of its system “will should be rebuilt – not restored.”
“Be ready for widespread, prolonged outages as we’re assessing the harm,” it mentioned on Twitter.
Whereas there are numerous methodologies for estimating the totals of hurricane-caused deaths, Hurricane Irma in 2017 is taken into account to be one of many strongest and deadliest in Florida’s trendy historical past.
Based on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, it prompted 123 deaths in Florida. Irma additionally turned out to be the most expensive hurricane in Florida’s historical past to this point, with harm amounting to 50 billion {dollars}.
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