Categories: World

Storm Ian leaves a trail of destruction in the United States; see updates

Storm Ian leaves a trail of destruction in the United States; see updates

O hurricane ian lost strength and became a tropical storm this Thursday (29). However, the weather phenomenon still poses risks as it makes its way through central Florida, in the United States, with winds of 105 km/h and the possibility of sudden increases in the strength of the storm.

Ian first hit Southwest Florida as a devastating Category 4 hurricane Wednesday afternoon and weakened overnight.

Now, it is expected to leave the state along the northeast coast on Thursday and approach the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina on Friday (30).

The storm left catastrophic damage in its wake. In addition to hurricane-force winds, storms hit coastal communities and torrential rains brought dangerous flooding that left some residents stranded in their homes.

Last updates

Many residents are without power: More than 2.5 million customers in Florida lost power as of Thursday morning, mostly in the Southwest and Central regions of the state, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us. Several counties in Southwest Florida are reporting near-total blackouts due to damage sustained, and the Tampa-St. Petersburg was also heavily affected.

Central Florida is flooded with rain: The area has already received total amounts of rain of 200 to 300 millimeters and an additional 50 to 100 millimeters is expected. Heavy rains will continue to produce life-threatening flash floods.

South Florida is no longer under weather warnings: Hurricane and tropical storm warnings for South Florida have been dropped as the storm moves north, according to the National Hurricane Center. Water levels along the west coast of the state also continue to decline.

Southeast states prepare for Ian’s arrival: Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina are bracing for the storm’s impact, with all four governors declaring a state of emergency.

Source: CNN Brasil