Death toll from Hurricane Ian rises to 45 in Florida

At least 45 people have lost their lives as a result of ‘Ian’ in Florida, now a tropical cyclone as it passes through South Carolina, CNN reported Friday.

The weather phenomenon, which made landfall in Florida last Wednesday as a category four hurricane, has brought with it a combination of strong winds, rain and storm surges, causing the death of several dozen people.

Likewise, the U.S. Coast Guard has carried out 275 rescue operations throughout the state this week, flying over and operating in “unrecognizable” areas, as detailed by a member of the corps to the aforementioned network.

“We are flying over and we are operating in areas that are unrecognizable. There are no road signs. They don’t look like they used to. The buildings that were once landmarks in the community are gone,” he has said.

The storm has made landfall for the second time in the United States near Georgetown, South Carolina, during the eastern afternoon as a Category 1 hurricane and with wind gusts of up to Friday night, it was continuing with winds of 96 kilometers per hour.

Flash flooding was possible in parts of North and South Carolina and southeastern Virginia Friday night, while the storm also threatened parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia with tornadoes through Saturday morning, the hurricane center added.

U.S. President Joe Biden has assured that ‘Ian’ could be the “deadliest” in the history of the state of Florida, which has already been declared a catastrophe zone.

“This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history,” Biden said, adding that “early reports” point to a “substantial loss of life,” as reported by the US network ABC.