At least 81 people have been confirmed dead after Hurricane Ian hit the United States – with rescuers desperately searching for survivors among the ruins of flooded homes.
The remnants of one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes in American history are now heading north, with authorities in Florida and South Carolina assessing the damage.
Ian has been compared to an ‘A-bomb’ and around 10,000 people are still missing, although authorities believe many are likely to be in shelters or without power.
According to the American Red Cross, more than 1,300 disaster workers are supporting relief efforts in five states.
Of those killed, 77 were in Florida, mostly by drowning. But the storm also had an impact, and an elderly couple lost their lives after oxygen machines stopped working due to a power outage.
Four other weather-related deaths have been reported in North Carolina – including two who died in a traffic accident during the storm.
Hurricane Ian’s winds and coastal waves have terrorized millions of people for most of the week – and although it has now been downgraded slightly to a cyclone, officials have warned the storm is still dangerous.
“Treacherous” conditions are still predicted throughout this weekend for large swaths of the east coast – including New York, New Jersey and Washington DC.
Back in Florida, a massive cleanup effort is underway, and the latest numbers suggest more than 1.1 million residents are still without power or WiFi.
Governor Ron DeSantis says SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk had agreed to provide the company’s Starlink satellite internet service to anyone who had no connection and was trying to get help or find loved ones.
Celebrities are also starting to donate to a disaster relief fund.
American football star Tom Brady, who now plays for the Florida-based Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tweeted that he would contribute to the Florida Disaster Fund and urged other NFL players to do the same.
“I want to sit in a corner and cry”
Anthony Rivera, 25, described climbing out the window of his ground floor apartment in Fort Myers during the storm to carry his grandmother and girlfriend to the first floor.
As they rushed to escape the rising waters, the storm surge swept away a boat right next to his apartment.
“It’s the scariest thing in the world because I can’t stop any boat,” he said. “I am not Superman.”
Other distraught residents waded through knee-deep water, salvaging what they could from their flooded homes and loading them onto rafts and canoes.
“I want to sit in the corner and cry. I don’t know what else to do,” Stevie Scuderi said after walking through her largely destroyed Fort Myers home.
Read more:
Dramatic before and after footage shows the scale of the destruction
On Friday, Ian hit the Georgetown waterfront, north of historic Charleston, South Carolina, with winds of 85 mph.
The storm washed away parts of four piers along the coast, including two connected to the popular tourist town of Myrtle Beach. As of Saturday, more than 63,000 homes and businesses across the state were still without power.
President Joe Biden approved a declaration of emergency for the state, which authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in all of its 100 counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians – a federally recognized Indian tribe based in western North Carolina.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, residents took to the streets of the capital Havana to protest against ongoing blackouts since his direct hit five days ago.
It has now been reported that a new weather system is heading towards the Pacific northwest coast of Mexico.
The US National Hurricane Center said Orlene has reached hurricane strength and is heading for an expected landfall early next week with winds of 75 mph.