The number of dead from Hurricane Jan topped 80 as embattled Florida and the Carolinas face a recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars and some officials have faced criticism over their response to the storm.
The death toll is expected to continue to rise as floodwaters recede and search teams push further into areas initially cut off from the outside world. Hundreds of people were rescued as emergency workers searched homes and buildings that were flooded or completely washed away.
Since then, at least 85 deaths related to the storm have been confirmed Ian made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast with catastrophic force on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph).
All but four deaths were reported in Florida, 42 of which were counted by the sheriff’s office in coastal Lee County, which took the brunt of the storm as it made landfall, and 39 other deaths reported by officials in four neighboring counties.
Officials in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral and sits on the Gulf Coast, faced questions about whether they had ordered evacuations in time.
Cecil Pendergrass, chairman of the county board of commissioners, said Sunday that evacuation orders had been issued after the county was forecast to be in the cone, or likely track of the hurricane’s center. Even then, some people chose to ride out the storm, Pendergrass said.
“I respect their choice,” he said at a press conference. “But I’m sure many of them regret it now.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will see the devastation in Florida firsthand on Wednesday, the White House said in a statement on Saturday. The Bidens will visit Puerto Rico on Monday, where hundreds of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit the island.
Cuba is restoring power after Yang knocked out electricity across the country of 11 million people, leveled homes and destroyed agricultural fields.
Authorities in North Carolina said at least four people were killed there. No deaths were reported in South Carolina, where Ian made another U.S. landfall on Friday.
Since then, Yang has developed into a post-tropical cyclone that has been steadily weakening as it tracks over land.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting heavier rainfall in parts of West Virginia and western Maryland through Sunday morning, and “extensive and record flooding” in central Florida.
As the full extent of the devastation became clearer, officials said some of the worst damage was caused by wind-driven ocean surf that raged through coastal communities and washed away buildings.
Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed that beach cottages and motels along the coast of Sanibel Island in Florida were destroyed by storm surges. Although most of the houses appeared to be still standing, the damage to the roofs was evident.
Surveys from the ground showed that Barrier Island, a popular tourist destination with a population of 6,000, had been destroyed.
“Everything is completely gone,” Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza said. “Our electrical system is largely destroyed, our sewer system is badly damaged and our public water supply is under evaluation.”
The island’s connection to the mainland was severed due to breaches in the levee, making recovery even more difficult, Souza said.
After weakening to a tropical storm at the end of its march through Florida to the Atlantic, Ian regained hurricane strength and battered coastal South Carolina on Friday, coming ashore near Georgetown, north of the historic port city of Charleston.
Numerous roads were flooded and blocked by fallen trees, and a number of piers in the area were damaged.
More than 700,000 businesses and homes were without power Sunday afternoon in Florida alone, where more than two million customers lost power on the storm’s first night.
Insurers expect $28 billion to $47 billion in claims from the costliest storm to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to data from US-based analyst firm CoreLogic.