At least 20 people have disappeared after the sinking of a boat carrying Cuban immigrants near the archipelago of the Keys, in the southwest of the US state of Florida, due to 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 most powerful storms ever recorded in the United States, caused flooding in Florida on Wednesday, cutting power to more than two million people, according to the PowerOutage website, which compiles information on blackouts 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 Northern National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.
In a post on Twitter, the center warned that “catastrophic storm surge, wind and flooding” would continue as the storm moves inland.
In Naples, southwest Florida, images from the MSNBC television channel showed completely flooded streets and cars floating in the current. In the city of Fort Myers, the flooding was so severe that some neighborhoods resembled lakes.
The storm flooded the emergency room of a hospital in Port Charlotte, while strong winds ripped off part of the roof of the intensive care unit, Dr. Birgit Bodine told the Associated Press news agency.
About 2.5 million people were ordered from their homes in 18 Southwest Florida counties before the arrival of Ian, whom the center described as “extremely dangerous.”
About 21 million people live in areas that could be affected by blackouts and floods in the next few hours, caused by a hurricane that could cause more than 67,000 million dollars (68,800 million euros) in material damage, according to the Bloomberg agency.
On the east coast of Florida, the hurricane brought heavy rain and tornadoes were recorded in areas around Miami where two people were injured.
The US federal government has dispatched 300 ambulances with medical teams and is prepared to transport 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 system.
In the US states of Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, governors have preemptively declared states of emergency.
Forecasters predicted Ian will pass through those states as a tropical storm, likely bringing heavy rain, after crossing Florida.
Source: TSF
