Hurricane Ian reaches Carolinas after Florida

Florida, Oct 01: Hurricane Ian barreled north Friday, making a second landfall in South Carolina, a day after carving a path of destruction across central Florida.

At least 12 people were killed as rescue teams continued to race to reach dozens of other trapped residents along Florida's Gulf Coast.

Kevin Guthrie, director of the state's Division of Emergency Management, put the potential death toll at 21.

He said that some 10,000 people in Florida were unaccounted for, although many of them were likely in shelters or without power and unable to contact relatives.

Ian upgraded before reaching Carolinas

Ian, which had weakened to a tropical storm, was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it churned toward the Carolinas, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 85 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Hours before it made landfall on Friday afternoon, South Carolina's entire coastline was placed on alert, with authorities advising people to seek higher ground.

The warning stretched from the Savannah River to Cape Fear, with flooding rains likely across the Carolinas and southwestern Virginia, the NHC said.

Biden pledges federal help for Florida

Ian left a broad swath of destruction after it came ashore on Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday.

The storm flooded areas on both of the state's coasts, tore homes from their slabs, demolished beachfront businesses and left more than 2 million people without power.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Friday that rescue crews had gone door-to-door to over 3,000 homes in the hardest-hit areas.

"There's really been a Herculean effort,'' he said during a news conference in Tallahassee.

Earlier, he described how thousands of personnel were assigned to respond to the storm with 250 aircraft, 300 boats and 1,600 high-water vehicles.

US President Joe Biden issued a federal disaster declaration, allowing federal aid to be provided to Florida.

"We'll be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again," Biden said on Wednesday.

"And we'll be there every step of the way. That's my absolute commitment to the people of Florida."

Migrant boat sinks

Shortly before Ian made landfall in Florida, a boat carrying migrants sank, leaving 23 people missing and four survivors.

Walter Slosar, Miami's chief patrol agent, said US authorities responded to a "migrant landing in Stock Island, Florida."

"Four Cuban migrants swam to shore after their vessel sank due to inclement weather," Slosar wrote on Twitter.

Hurricane intensified after hitting Cuba

Ian had battered Cuba as a Category 3 storm just less than 24 hours before nearing Florida.

At least three people were killed on the island.

Scientists have long sounded the alarm over how climate change can hike the intensity of extreme weather events.

Source: DW