Here’s what Florida looks like after Ian, one of its worst hurricanes: Islands devastated, one dead and millions without power

Miami.- The Hurricane IanOne Strong enough to strike Floridaleft his mark Destruction since entering Cayo Costa, On the west coast of the peninsula, yesterday afternoon. The Coastal cities They registered Historic flood. Streets turned into riversCanals and bays were blurred, cars submerged, ships and boats drifted, and The water practically completely covered the first floor of the houses. Entire cities They were left in the dark.

“This could be the worst hurricane in Florida history.” said the President Joe Biden After visiting the headquarters of the agency responsible for natural disasters (FEMA) in Washington. “The numbers (…) are not yet clear, but we have received information that shows significant loss of life due to the typhoon”, said the president, who said he would go to the place “when conditions allow”.

recorded so far a dead, But that’s to be expected This number increases significantly as the day progresses. The Sheriff Carmine Marceno of Lee County told CNN There were “approximately five” deaths, But he stressed that he could not give a firm figure at the moment.

According to the police, The victim was a 72-year-old man who went outside to drain his pool during the storm. Investigators believe he used a hose to drain the pool into a canal with a steep slope. The ground became slippery and he eventually drowned.

Ian, nicknamed “The Monster,” was a Category 4 (nearly 5, the highest), felt across Florida. Its sheer size dumped wind and damage on the southern side of the peninsula. On the East Coast, north of Miami, he overturned small planes at an airport, knocking down trees and street signs. But The biggest disasters occurred on the west coast.

Sanibel and Captiva They are two dream islands, with low houses in pale colors and no traffic lights. Yesterday, they Center of the storm. The bridge connecting them to the mainland with the city of Fort Myers was destroyed. Some parts of the bridge are low, the street is potholed and the edges are blurred. Boats still float on top of each other on Fort Myers Beach. Others woke up in trees or on the pavement. Destroyed homes, mobile homes turned upside down, and some completely gutted.

In Port Charlotte, Part of the roof of the fourth floor of Fawcett Memorial Hospital was blown off. Water poured into the intensive care ward, forcing staff to evacuate sick patients to other floors, some of them on ventilators. Water came down the steps like waterfalls. Workers are placing towels and plastic containers to control the flooding. Patients will be transferred to another clinic this morning.

Hundreds of people lost contact with their loved ones yesterday due to lack of electricity and cell phones. were received Desperate calls Trapped in homes and posted on networks Rescue requests and videos with people on rooftops, Or the entire ground floor from the second floor is flooded.

It is assumed that security forces are not only on the way to save people. Further to recover the bodies. It will take several days to assess the damage.

More than two million people are without electricityAs Ian moves toward the Atlantic coast, already as a A tropical storm. There may still be both sides of the Florida peninsula A storm is brewing.

Emergency crews began working in the area before sunrise. They wade through fallen trees to reach people trapped in flooded homes.

“As soon as the storm passed, state and federal first responders were dispatched. The Coast Guard has been involved in rescue operations since morning. We started on the barrier islands, and on all the islands that had the biggest flooding,” the governor said this morning. Ron DeSantis.

The government is bringing in doctors and army tanks that can enter the flooded areas for rescue. The Florida Highway Patrol, a division that patrols the highways, loaded chainsaws and other equipment onto westbound trucks, along with hundreds of police cars and tow trucks. They take drones to fly in affected areas. The first step is to analyze the damage.

Before the sun rose, trucks left Miami-Dade with construction engineers, medics and security forces to help Western communities. Donations are already being received in Miami through the Global Empowerment Mission. Among its facilities are water baskets, cloths and diapers. Other districts of the state also sent support staff.

Ian took many by surprise. His entry was anticipated by Tampa. After the storm’s projected track began to move south a day earlier, the area was somewhat unsafe. Residents had little time to evacuate their homes.

For several days, the National Hurricane Center emphasized a high level of uncertainty about Ian’s projected path toward Florida’s west coast. However, many of the areas most affected by the storm were not included in some forecast cones in the week before the storm.

Today’s storm victims are being urged Stay in your homes. Rescuers must first clear the streets and ensure traffic safety.