the mighty hurricaneIanfaded Wednesday night after sweeping the state of Florida with violent winds and torrential raincausing floods "catastrophic" Y power outages in the region.
The US Coast Guard was searching for 20 migrants missing in the shipwreck from a boat in the Florida Keys, south of the hurricane’s path. Three castaways were rescued from the water and four swam to shore.
With sustained winds of up to 185 km per hour,Ianmade landfall along Cayo Costa, in the southwest of the state at 3:05 p.m. local time (19:05 GMT), and caused "catastrophic flooding" in its wake, reported the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm reached gusts of wind up to 240 km per hour when it made landfall, Although the intensity was later reduced to about 120 km per hour, the NHC indicated around 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT), which downgraded it to category 1.
It is expected thatIanthat already devastated western Cuba in recent days, it will move inland from Florida, out into the Atlantic Ocean and end up affecting the states of Georgia and South Carolina, according to forecasts by the Center.
the mighty hurricaneIanfaded Wednesday night after sweeping the state of Florida with violent winds and torrential rain, causing flooding "catastrophic" and power outages in the region.
The US Coast Guard was searching for 20 missing migrants in a boat wreck in the Florida Keys, south of the hurricane’s path. Three castaways were rescued from the water and four swam to shore.
With sustained winds of up to 185 km per hour,Ian made landfall along Cayo Costain the southwest of the state at 3:05 p.m. local time (19:05 GMT), and caused "catastrophic flooding" in its wake, reported the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm reached wind gusts of up to 240 km per hour when it made landfall, although the intensity was later reduced to about 120 km per hour, the NHC indicated around 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT), which downgraded it to category 1.
It is expected thatIanwhich has already devastated western Cuba in recent days, moves into the interior of Florida, reaches the Atlantic Ocean and ends up affecting the states of Georgia and South Carolina, according to forecasts by the Center.
– Darkness –
IanIt left nearly two million homes without electricity at nightfall on Wednesday in Florida, especially in the areas around the hurricane’s passage, according to the specialized site PowerOutage, which records power outages in the United States.
Many of the counties near whereIanHe touched ground, they were almost completely out of power, according to the same source.
The city of Punta Gorda was also plunged into darkness. During the night, only a few buildings with electric generators were still lit and the only noises around were the roar of the wind and the persistent rain.
Hours before, the city had a brief respite when it was in the eye of the hurricane. But the storms and the rain came back with more force, ripping off sign boards and carrying away large pieces of roofs and tree branches.
In Naples, in southwestern Florida, MSNBC channel footage showed completely flooded streets and cars floating in the current, while in Fort Myers, the flooding was so great that some neighborhoods resembled lakes.
In some areas, floods can exceed three metersannounced Wednesday night the governor of the state, Ron DeSantis.
About 2.5 million people were subject to mandatory evacuation orders from a dozen Florida coastal counties, where several dozen shelters were set up.
– "Very dangerous" –
Governor DeSantis said thatIan "it is one of the five most powerful hurricanes to ever hit Florida".
"This is a storm that will be talked about for many years"deepened the director of the National Weather Service (NWS), Ken Graham, at a press conference.
Deanne Criswell, head of Fema, the federal agency in charge of managing natural disasters, stated thatIanit would still be a storm "very dangerous" in "the days to come".
Ianwhich hit Cuba on Tuesday, left two dead and a total power cut on the island.
On Wednesday, electricity had been restored in some areas of Havana and 11 other provincesbut not in the three most affected provinces in the west of the island.
Experts point out that, as the surface of the oceans warms, the frequency of more intense hurricanes, with stronger winds and more precipitation, increases, but not the total number of hurricanes.
According to Gary Lackmann, professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University (USA), several studies have shown a "possible link" between climate change and a phenomenon known as "rapid escalation"when a relatively weak tropical storm strengthens, as is the case with hurricaneIan.
"A consensus remains that in the future there will be fewer storms, but that the most important ones will be more intense"the scientist told AFP.
Ian left nearly two million homes without electricity at nightfall on Wednesday in Florida, especially in the areas around the hurricane, according to the specialized site PowerOutage, which records power outages in the United States.
Many of the counties near whereIanmade landfall, they were almost completely out of power, according to the same source.
The city of Punta Gorda was also plunged into darkness. During the night, only a few buildings with electric generators were still lit and the only noises around were the roar of the wind and the persistent rain.
Hours before, the city had a brief respite when it was in the eye of the hurricane. But the storms and the rain came back with more force, ripping off sign boards and carrying away large pieces of roofs and tree branches.
In Naples, in southwestern Florida, MSNBC channel footage showed completely flooded streets and cars floating in the current, while in Fort Myers, the flooding was so great that some neighborhoods resembled lakes.
In some areas, flooding can exceed three metersannounced Wednesday night the governor of the stateRon DeSantis.
About 2.5 million people were subject to mandatory evacuation orders from a dozen Florida coastal counties, where several dozen shelters were set up.
– "Very dangerous" –
Governor DeSantis said thatIan "It is one of the five most powerful hurricanes that have never hit florida".
"This is a storm that will be talked about for many years"deepened the director of the National Weather Service (NWS), Ken Graham, at a press conference.
Deanne Criswell, head of Fema, the federal agency in charge of managing natural disasters, stated thatIanit would still be a storm "very dangerous" in "the days to come".
Ianwhich hit Cuba on Tuesday, left two dead and a total power outage on the island.
By Wednesday, electricity had been restored in parts of Havana and 11 other provinces, but not in the three worst-affected provinces in the west of the island.
Experts point out that, as the surface of the oceans warms, the frequency of more intense hurricanes, with stronger winds and more precipitation, increases, but not the total number of hurricanes.
According to Gary Lackmann, professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University (USA), several studies have shown a "possible link" between climate change and a phenomenon known as "rapid escalation"when a relatively weak tropical storm strengthens, as is the case with hurricaneIan.
"A consensus remains that in the future there will be fewer storms, but that the most important ones will be more intense"the scientist told AFP.
The Biden-Harris Administration has pre-positioned equipment, resources, and Federal responses to respond to Hurricane Ian. If you are in the storm’s path, please follow the guidance of local officials. https://t.co/1f4mNlZF6d
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 28, 2022
