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Winds of up to 185 km per hour, torrential rains, catastrophic flooding and power outages mark Ian’s arrival in Southwest Florida, causing destruction and at least 20 missing.
There are already almost two million people without electricity as of this Wednesday night in Florida, especially in the areas around the passage of the hurricane. Ian. A few days ago, it had already devastated western Cuba, causing at least 45,000 evacuees. Now, after making landfall on the southwestern coast of Florida, it is expected to move inland during the day and emerge over the western Atlantic at night, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Joined.
The city of Punta Gorda was one of those that was plunged into darkness. During the night, only a few buildings with electric generators were still lit, the only noises around were the roar of the wind and the persistent rain. The hurricane was capable of ripping out signage panels and taking away large pieces of roofs and tree branches. A reporter from the MSNBC channel showed the force of the wind and the rain on camera:
In Naples, in southwestern Florida, the streets were completely flooded and several cars floated in the current. At the same time, in Fort Myers, the flooding was so great that some neighborhoods resembled lakes. The governor of the state, Ron DeSantis, assured, in his speech on Wednesday, that in certain sectors the floods exceeded three meters in height. “This is one of the five most powerful hurricanes to ever hit Florida,” DeSantis added.
American meteorologist Jason Brewer, who has closely followed Ian’s ravages, posted videos of the hurricane’s impact on a home in the city of Naples on his Twitter account:
Radio France International spoke with Alexander Flores, Venezuelan resident in Sarasota, Florida, who recounts how Ian lived through his region:
Testimony of Alexander Flores from Sarasota, Florida
“There were many trees and walls that fell. The trees are still on the ground. The power lines as well. We were without electricity from about 6 in the afternoon until dawn. Luckily they connected it again.
Thank God, we did not get the water in the house. But it was because we sealed the entire perimeter of the house with wood. We put wooden planks in the windows, in the doors. And we were here, locked up.
Today I already see many people from the government working to clean up the mess that is on the street: there are machinery, ambulances, firefighters, police… everyone is collaborating”
South of the hurricane’s path, near the Florida Keys, poor conditions capsized a boat carrying migrants while Coast Guardsmen were still searching for 20 people. Three of the castaways were pulled from the water, while four others made it swim to shore.
This morning, Hurricane Ian was already beginning to lose intensity but catastrophic flooding and power outages still persist in the region.
