Hurricane Ian leaves a path of destruction and fatalities from Cuba, Southwest Florida to the Carolinas
AGN.News Team
October 3, 2022
FORT MYERS (AGN.News) – Ian started as a tropical wave east of the Windward Islands on September 19, 2022. On September 21, 2022 it had moved into the Caribbean Sea showering Trinidad and Tobago with strong winds and heavy rain.
As it came near the Cayman Islands, Ian grew into a Category 3 hurricane and made landfall hitting western Cuba with heavy rain. The entire province of Pinar del Rio lost power.
Leaving Cuba and entering southeastern Gulf of Mexico, the once slightly weakened Ian moved towards southwestern Florida. Ian became a Category 4 hurricane on September 28, 2022 as it approached the west coast of Florida.
Hurricane Ian’s second landfall
As a Category 4 storm, Ian made landfall in southwest Florida hitting Cayo Costa Island, 12 miles west of Cape Coral in Lee County. Ian is now the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous United States.
In Lee County, Florida, Ian caused catastrophic damage by mostly flooding whole neighborhoods and communities. Ian caused extreme storm surge and rainfall in Fort Myers Beach and Naples.
Sanibel suffered major flooding, damage to virtually every home, as well as causing the causeway to collapse, leaving no land route to the mainland. Pine Island bridge to Fort Myers was leveled.
Millions have been left without electric power. Many residents were rescued from roofs due the high water floods. First responders came to the aid of thousands of stranded residents in these island communities.
The National Guard along with local volunteers have come together to unite in bringing help, food, shelter, and support to local communities. Aid organizations like the Red Cross have stepped up to assist those affected.
President Joe Biden ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to utilize every federal resource available to help those affected by Ian.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has empowered state and county agencies to bring help to the storm’s victims.
The storm’s fatalities increasing
As of today, October 3, 2022 there have been 107 fatalities: 100 in Florida, 4 in North Carolina, and 3 in Cuba. Reports have surfaced that at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for.
As crews remove the damage from homes and businesses, it is expected that more fatalities will be found.
How you can help the victims
You can make donations to the American Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers are on-scene providing housing, food, and clothing the survivors. Other federal, state, and local organizations have mobilized to help spread donations to the affected populations.
As always, some unscrupulous individuals may see this disaster as a moment to commit fraud and theft. So, it is recommended that everyone seek out government-approved organizations like the Red Cross or the Salvation Army to guarantee your donations are not diverted for personal gain. If you have any questions, you can feel free to contact your local law enforcement agency for direction.
CoreLogic, Inc, a Fortune 1000 company, is reporting the insured storm damage estimates in Florida are approximated at up to $47 billion.
Hurricane Fiona hits Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona was a devastating Category 4 Atlantic hurricane which impacted portions of the Caribbean and Eastern Canada. It was the strongest and costliest tropical or post-tropical cyclone to hit Canada on record.
On September 18, 2022, Fiona approached Puerto Rico. A few hours afterward, the eye of Fiona made landfall along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico, near Punta Tocon, between the municipalities of Lajas and Cabo Rojo at 7:20 pm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Fiona laid waste to the island’s infrastructure, homes and destroyed most of the electric grid. President Joe Biden will make his first visit to the island to see the damage first hand.
President Joe Biden has activated the entire federal government to be engaged in rendering aid to the island’s residents, government agencies, and electric grid.
Ten days later, on September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated southwest Florida and moving north-northeast across the state bringing floods into communities and extensive damage to personal and business property as it turned north towards the Carolinas. Ian is now just a memory but its legacy of destruction will long be remembered.
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Written by
AGN.News Team
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