Hurricane Ian: Revived storm pounds South Carolina as death toll rises to 27
Flooding continued in central Florida as storm barrelled through state before gathering strength
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Your support makes all the difference.A revived Hurricane Ian battered South Carolina, bringing heavy rains and flooded streets as the death toll in the US from one of its costliest storms climbed to 27.
The storm barrelled through western Cuba and raked across Florida before gathering strength in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean to curve back and strike South Carolina.
While the storm was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone earlier on Friday, the agency warned river flooding will continue through next week across central Florida. Meanwhile, president Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for South Carolina.
The storm hit Florida as one of the most powerful hurricanes in the state’s history, with wind speeds nearly reaching Category 5.
Nearly 2 million people in Florida were left without power – and economic losses could amount to $120bn, according to an estimate.
People rescued from building as floods take Myrtle Beach
South Carolina faces sea level rise risk too
Flooding from storm surge and heavy rains are hitting South Carolina on Friday with Hurricane Ian’s third landfall.
But a more long-term climate threat also poses a risk to the state’s coastline: sea-level rise.
As the planet warms, melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are pushing sea levels higher and higher. For low-lying areas, that poses an existential risk.
In Charleston, South Carolina, the city sits so low that it will see flooding even on some sunny days during especially high tides.
That could get even worse in the coming years. By 2150, under even the lowest possible emissions scenario, Charleston will see nearly three feet (one metre) of sea level rise, according to Nasa, putting much of downtown underwater.
Under the worst-case scenario, the city could see nearly eight ft (2.36 m) of sea level rise in that time.
Ian downgraded to post-tropical storm
The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Ian from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone after it made landfall again in South Carolina.
“The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” the NHC said in an advisory.
Myrtle Beach faces major flooding
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows major flooding along Myrtle Beach in South Carolina as Hurricane Ian makes impact.
As of Friday afternoon, it was the third-highest water level on record.
Sheriff says 16 storm-related deaths in Lee County
The county in southwest Florida is the home of Cape Coral and Fort Myers, as well as Sanibel Island.
“Our hearts go out to friends & family who lost their loved one in this tragic storm. We are here for you & we will get through this together,” tweeted Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
Survivors share Hurricane Ian aftermath on social media
Survivors of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ian in Florida have shared the damage caused by the storm this week in clips on social media.
Survivors share Hurricane Ian aftermath on social media
Survivors of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ian in Florida have shared the damage caused by the storm this week in clips on social media. Flooding has inundated the state, damaging belongings and spreading debris across communities. The storm made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, 28 September, as a Category 4, making its way to South Carolina on Friday as a Category 1. At least nine people have been confirmed dead, according to an Associated Press report. Click here to sign up to our newsletters.
Ian death toll rises to at least 17, say officials
The number of people killed by hurricane Ian has risen to 17, according to the Associated Press.
Authorities in storm-lashed Florida confirmed several drowning deaths and other fatalities on Friday, according to the news organisation.
Most of the deaths were drownings, including a 68-year-old woman who was swept into the ocean by a wave.
The toll also includes a 22-year-old woman who was involved in an ATV rollover caused by a washed-out road n Manatee County on Friday.
A 71-year-old man died from head injuries after falling from a roof as he put up storm shutters on Wednesday.
The death toll is expected to continue to rise as first responders manage to get into flood-hit areas.
Latest images as Ian comes ashore again in South Carolina
Video shows Floridians being airlifted with pets as Hurricane Ian cuts off Sanibel island
ICYMI: Sanibel Island got some of the worst impacts from Hurricane Ian, as the storm made landfall just north of the southwestern Florida community.
The island faced intense floods as storm surges and pounding rain hit on Wednesday late into the night, leaving many residents stranded – especially as the only road onto the island, the Sanibel Causeway, was destroyed in the hurricane.
Video footage shows a woman and her cat being rescued from the community as first responders lifted her out of floodwaters.
Watch here:
Video shows Floridians airlifted with pets as Hurricane Ian cuts off Sanibel island
Of the damage to the island, Mayor Holly Smith said in an open letter to residents: “All our lives and our island have been forever changed.”
US Coast Guard has rescued more than 275 in Florida
“We’re flying and we’re operating in areas that are unrecognizable. There’s no street signs. They don’t look like they used to look like. Buildings that were once benchmarks in the community are no longer there,” Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson told CNN on Friday.
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