Buildings were reduced to rubble, flooded areas, power outages and the tragedy of the deaths of at least 45 people, according to preliminary data, are shaking the United States today during the passage of Hurricane Ian.
The now post-tropical cyclone is advancing inland after hitting the state of Florida last Wednesday with a category four rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale, bypassing the East Coast and re-entering North America via South Carolina.
The meteor hit the demarcation the day before with maximum sustained winds of 136 kilometers per hour, leaving a devastating storm surge in its wake.
According to a CNN channel count from the combination of state reports, the number of deaths in Florida from the natural phenomenon rose to 45 after the coroner’s commission identified three more deaths.
In this area, the houses on the coast were washed into the sea, the water destroyed homes and businesses and trapped local residents.
Florida Lee County manager Roger Desjarlais said Ian had decimated parts of the area and “there must be a lot of deaths.”
“It seemed like someone had just fallen from the sky, picked up hotels and buildings and carried them away. So much so that in many places there wasn’t even debris to be seen,” he said.
While two South Carolina piers, the Cherry Grove Pier in the town of North Myrtle Beach and the Pawleys Island Pier, partially collapsed due to the storm, authorities are still conducting safety assessments.
According to CNN, it is in this very town that resident Kyle Faust waded through knee-deep water at his home on Friday after the storm.
For Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune, Ian was “a pretty frightening sight” and highlighted how people stayed on the streets despite the danger.
“I’m right on Ocean Boulevard. I see too many cars driving by. And I think people just don’t realize how dangerous it is to stay in those conditions.”
Currently, the affected regions are progressing with rescue operations, damage assessments and debris removal while monitoring weather conditions.
President Joe Biden pledged federal support in the face of what may be the worst hurricane in the country’s history, stressing it could take months and years to rebuild the devastation Ian left in his wake.