US: Joe Biden to visit Florida after 'deadly' Hurricane Ian

Florida, Sep 30: US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he is planning a visit to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

"When the conditions allow it, I'm going to be going to Florida," the president said.

Biden was speaking at FEMA emergency management headquarters in Washington, which has been organizing the federal response to the disaster that has laid waste to swathes of the southern peninsula state.

"This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history," he said, adding that "The numbers... are still unclear, but we're hearing reports of what may be substantial loss of life."

At least six deaths have been reported, but this number is expected to climb as rescue workers spread across the affected areas.

More than 2.5 million homes and businesses had been left without power by Thursday.

Ian heads north

The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) issued a hurricane warning for the coastline of South Carolina, as Ian headed further north with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h).

The NHC also warned of a possible storm surge of 6 feet (1.83 meters) or more from Daytona Beach in Florida north to Charleston, South Carolina.

The Carolinas and Virginia are expecting up to 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) of rainfall.

"It doesn't matter what the intensity of the storm is. We're still expecting quite a bit of rainfall," Robbie Berg, a senior hurricane specialist at the NHC, told the Associated Press.

Source: DW