As daybreak Saturday promised to reveal Hurricane Ian’s true impact in South Carolina after the storm’s second landfall, rescuers combed for survivors in devastated Florida communities.
At least 23 people have been killed in the storm in Florida, according to state officials, but that number looked set to grow.
Ian made landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm on Friday afternoon, and has since been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Still, officials warned that Ian and its aftermath still pose a grave danger, with warnings of flash flooding across parts of North Carolina and southern Virginia, according to the National Hurricane Center.
And Ian is expected to produce between 3 to 6 inches of rainfall on Saturday, across parts of North Carolina and West Virginia.
More than 1.3 million customers in Florida were without power early Saturday, three days after Ian slammed into the state. In South Carolina, just under 70,000 homes and businesses were without power after the hurricane hit.
President Joe Biden warned that Ian could ultimately be responsible for “substantial loss of life” and could end up being the deadliest storm in the state’s history.
Flash flooding warnings for North Carolina and Virginia
There are warnings of flash flooding across parts of North Carolina and southern Virginia Saturday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest report at 2 a.m. ET.
Ian, which has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, will have maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the NHC. It also said that the storm is forecast to weaken later on Saturday and dissipate by early Sunday.
And Ian is expected to produce between 3 to 6 inches of rainfall on Saturday, across parts of North Carolina and West Virginia.
In Florida, even inland towns are menaced by floods
Residents in North Port, Sarasota County, thought they might be safe from the ravages of Hurricane Ian, living far from the beach and outside areas under evacuation orders.
But even in inland towns, water levels have gone up significantly, causing widespread flooding and turning roads into canals and leaving residents trapped inside their homes. Heavy rains from the storm have ended up flowing into suburban and inland towns not included in hurricane warnings.
This is because rising rivers have created a deluge, the overflowing of water on land, continuing to cause having long after the winds have passed, and leading to rescue efforts not dissimilar to those in coastal areas.
“Water just keeps going up. Who knows when it is going to stop,” Samuel Almanzar, 42, told the Associated Press. He was rescued by crews Friday along with his father, wife and two children, 11 and 6.
Former FEMA director breaks down immediate needs of hurricane survivors
Coast Guard says it saved more than 300 after Ian
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday it has saved 325 people and 83 pets so far in its response to Hurricane Ian.
Those numbers were as of 8 p.m. Friday. The Coast Guard is among the agencies responding to the devastation caused by Ian, which was a Category 4 hurricane when it struck Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday.
The Coast Guard posted video showing a man being rescued by helicopter from a boat stranded in mangroves from flooded areas near Sanibel.
Sanibel Island, in Lee County, was among the areas devastated by the storm and is south of where the hurricane made landfall. Sanibel city officials have said there was a storm surge there of 8 to 15 feet.
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