The death toll from Hurricane Ian, one of the fiercest in recent US historywhich hit the southeastern part of the country in September, reached 107 dead yesterday Monday, local authorities announced.
Florida, the hardest-hit state, alone is mourning at least 102 deaths, according to the latest numbers from the coroner’s office.
At least five other people died in North Carolina.
Official numbers may increase. American media have reported an even heavier toll, they spoke of over a hundred dead as of last Monday.
Ian ranks among the deadliest hurricanes to hit the US since the turn of the century. However, the death toll remains far below that of Katrina, which wreaked havoc in Louisiana and killed at least 1,800 people in 2005.
Ian, a Category 4 hurricane (on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale) when it made landfall in Florida, flooded entire neighborhoods, destroyed homes, bridges, and part of the power grid.
It weakened heading into the Atlantic, before strengthening again and hurtling toward South Carolina and North Carolina, as reported by AFP and relayed by the Athens News Agency.
Authorities estimate it will take months and $50 billion, if not more, to rebuild Florida’s ravaged coastal areas.
Source: News Beast
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