CHARLESTON, South Carolina –
A revived Hurricane Ian set his sights on the South Carolina coast on Friday and the historic city of Charleston, with forecasters predicting storm surge and flooding after the mega-storm caused catastrophic damage in Florida and left people trapped in their homes. homes.
With the entire South Carolina coast under a hurricane warning, a steady stream of vehicles left Charleston on Thursday, many likely heeding officials’ warnings to seek higher ground. Store fronts were sandbagged to avoid high water levels in an area prone to flooding.
Friday morning in Charleston, powerful gusts of wind bent tree limbs and sent torrents of rain steadily falling sideways. The streets of the 350-year-old city were largely empty, a normally packed morning commute muted by the advancing storm.
With winds remaining at 85 mph (140 kph), the update from the National Hurricane Center at 5 a.m. Friday placed Ian about 145 miles (235 km) southeast of Charleston and forecast a “life-threatening storm surge.” and hurricane conditions along the coastal area of Carolina. later on Friday.
The hurricane warning extended from the Savannah River to Cape Fear, with flooding likely in the Carolinas and southwestern Virginia, the center said. The forecast called for a storm surge of up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) in coastal areas of the Carolinas and rainfall of up to 8 inches (20 centimeters).
In Florida, rescue teams piloted boats and walked along waterfront streets Thursday to save thousands of Floridians trapped between flooded homes and buildings destroyed by Hurricane Ian.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at least 700 rescues were carried out Thursday, mostly by air, involving the US Coast Guard, National Guard and urban search and rescue teams.
Ian had made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a monster Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. Pier and knocked out power to 2.6 million Florida homes and businesses. , nearly a quarter of utility customers. Some 2.1 million of those customers remained in the dark days afterward.
Climate change added at least 10% more rain to Hurricane Ian, according to a study prepared in the immediate aftermath of the storm, said its co-author, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory climate scientist Michael Wehner.
At least six people have been confirmed dead in Florida, including two who died Thursday afternoon when their car hydroplaned and flipped into a water-filled ditch in North Florida’s Putnam County, while three others died in Cuba after the hurricane hit there on Tuesday. .
In the Fort Myers area, the hurricane ripped slabs off homes and deposited them among the crushed debris. Businesses near the beach were completely swept away, leaving twisted debris behind. Broken docks floated at odd angles alongside the damaged ships. Fires smoldered on lots where houses once stood.
“I don’t know how anyone could have survived there,” William Goodison said amid the rubble of a mobile home park in Fort Myers Beach, where he lived for 11 years. Goodison said he was alive only because he weathered the storm at his son’s home inland.
The hurricane tore through the park of about 60 homes, leaving many destroyed or vandalized beyond repair, including Goodison’s single-width home. Wading through waist-deep water, Goodison and his son pushed two trash cans containing what little he could salvage: a portable air conditioner, some tools and a baseball bat.
The road to Fort Myers was littered with broken trees, boat trailers and other debris. Cars were left abandoned on the road, having stalled when storm surge flooded their engines.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said his office was struggling to respond to thousands of 911 calls in the Fort Myers area, but many roads and bridges were impassable.
Emergency crews sawed down felled trees to reach stranded people. Many in the hardest-hit areas were unable to call for help due to power and cell phone outages.
A section of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people live.
Hours after weakening to a tropical storm as it crossed the Florida panhandle, Ian regained hurricane strength Thursday night over the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would hit South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane on Friday.
National Guard troops were positioning themselves in South Carolina to help with the aftermath, including water rescues. And in Washington, President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for the state, a necessary step to accelerate federal recovery assistance once Ian passes away.
The storm was on track to hit North Carolina later, forecasters said. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urged residents to prepare for torrential rain, strong winds and possible power outages.
Visiting the state emergency operations center Thursday, Cooper said up to 7 inches (17.8 centimeters) of rain could fall in some areas, with the potential for mudslides in the mountains and tornadoes across the state.
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Gómez Licón reported from Punta Gorda, Florida; Associated Press contributors include Terry Spencer and Tim Reynolds in Fort Myers, Florida; Cody Jackson in Tampa, Florida; Freida Frisaro in Miami; Mike Schneider in Orlando, Fla.; Seth Borenstein in Washington; and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York.