At least 20 people have disappeared after a ship carrying Cuban migrants sank near the Keys archipelago, in southwestern Florida, following the passage of Hurricane Ian.
The US Coast Guard said it was able to rescue three migrants, while four managed to swim to shore.
Hurricane Ian, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the United States, caused flooding in Florida on Wednesday, supplying power to more than two million people, according to the website PowerOutage, which collects information about power outages in the United States.
“The center of Hurricane Ian made landfall near Key Coast, Florida, as a Category four hurricane,” the second-highest level, with winds exceeding 110 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center of the United Nations said. north Wednesday.
In a post on the social network Twitter, the center warned that “catastrophic waves of storms, winds and flooding” would continue as the storm moves inland.
9 p.m. EDT 9/28 Tropical Cyclone Update for Hurricane #ian: The University of Florida Coastal Monitoring Program wind tower near Punta Gorda recently reported sustained 55 mph (89 km/h) winds with 78 mph (126 km/h) gusts. For more: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/jvcEOYj64o
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 29, 2022
In Naples, southwest Florida, images from the MSNBC television channel showed streets completely submerged and cars drifting in the current. In the city of Fort Myers, flooding was so severe that some neighborhoods resembled lakes.
Hurricane Ian is the fifth most powerful storm to hit the US in terms of wind speed. https://t.co/NyG2NHGu8d pic.twitter.com/61YBCEyzs5
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 28, 2022
“There’s no beach anymore”: Naples, Florida, hit by a major storm surge. https://t.co/LMp8T4XqMp
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 28, 2022
The storm flooded the emergency room of a Port Charlotte hospital as high winds ripped off part of the intensive care unit’s roof, Dr Birgit Bodine told the Associated Press news agency.
I just got this video from Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte. I spoke to two people who work here and they said part of the roof of the 4th floor has come off. That floor is the ICU #abc11 #Hurricane_Ian pic.twitter.com/dgnJgbK3ID
— Josh Chapin (@JoshChapinABC11) September 28, 2022
My aunt who currently works at the hospital in Port Charlotte felt videos showing the roof collapse, ICU patients being carried down stairs and flooding throughout the hospital.
Shout out to everyone who works tirelessly to keep people safe now pic.twitter.com/sWdIhfGj5I
– Veee (@veeemillion) September 29, 2022
About 2.5 million people had to leave their homes in 18 southwestern Florida counties before the arrival of Ian, who described the center as “extremely dangerous.”
Nearly 21 million people live in areas that could be hit by power outages and flooding in the coming hours, caused by a hurricane that could cause more than $67 billion in property damage, the agency said.
On Florida’s east coast, the hurricane brought heavy rainfall, with tornadoes recorded in areas around Miami where two people were injured.
*RARE* first person view of storm appears. This camera is six feet above the ground on Estero Blvd in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Don’t know how long it will continue to work. You will only see it live on@weatherchannel #ian pic.twitter.com/WwHtvgVxjY
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022
Got this from a friend in #Naples – just so sad.@ActionNewsJax #ian pic.twitter.com/HtC0CtG228
— Jason Brewer (@JBrewerBoston25) September 28, 2022
We were in Cat’s eyewall. 4 #Hurricane #ian for over 5 hours and the back was the worst.
I haven’t experienced anything close to this in over 30 years @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/wfEqcuEBAm— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) September 29, 2022
The strongest wind was felt at a speed of 210 kilometers per hour, with storms still in the northeast.
“This is going to be an unpleasant day, two days,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, urging people to move to the safest shelter.
Ian passed more than 100 miles south of Tampa and St. Petersburg, sparing the densely populated Tampa Bay area from the first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.
The US federal government has sent 300 ambulances with medical teams and is prepared to carry 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water once the storm passes.
In Cuba, the passage of the Ian caused two deaths and brought down the country’s electrical grid.
Governors have declared a state of emergency in the US states of Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Meteorologists predicted that Ian will pass through those states as a tropical storm, likely with heavy rainfall, after crossing Florida.
This is Hurricane Ian, captured on video from the International Space Station, as it stormed into Florida’s Gulf Coast with catastrophic force, attacking the state with howling winds, torrential rains and an insidious wave of ocean surf https://t.co/mUPGWY2GvC pic.twitter.com/X6XjaQs3nr
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 29, 2022
Source: DN
