Nearly 2 million homes without electricity. Torrential winds and rain… The much feared Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday causing devastating flooding that could cause “catastrophic damage” to many “homes and businesses”, reports US public radio NPR.
In Fort Myers, flooding was so severe that some neighborhoods looked like lakes. The city was hit by a “outburst” elements “historical” at the time of the passage of “freak” Ian, notes the Florida daily The Tampa Bay Times. Frank Loni, a Californian architect visiting Fort Myers told CNN have seen “trees almost bent in half”.
In Naples, another city in the southwest of the state, “roads were turned into waterways as the hurricane made landfall”recount MSNBC. Footage from the channel shows cars floating in the current.
The extent of the damage still “uncertain”
This is “one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States”note it Washington Post. According to the American daily, the extent of the damage was still uncertain in the evening because “High winds prevented relief from reaching the most flooded communities and several jurisdictions had imposed curfews.”
Classified in category 4 at the time of its passage over Florida, the hurricane has lost its power and is now in category 2. But the Floridians are not at the end of their sentences, warns the Miami Herald : The storm is now slowly moving through central Florida and will continue to cause flooding in its path. The number of inhabitants without electricity should also “to skyrocket” as Ian traverses the Sunshine State.
State utility officials have warned that restoring power could take some time as “we will have to rebuild part of the network that has been crushed” by Ian, specifies the Miami Herald.
The authorities were also worried Wednesday evening about the health impact of these floods. When interviewed by CNN, Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson reminded residents of the urgent need to stay indoors, out of floodwaters. “We don’t know what’s in those waters, they’re not safe. You might step on debris. There is also sewer runoff – the situation is not good”he warned.