[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicted that the ultra-powerful hurricane "Ian," which struck Florida, would turn northward late on the 1st and dissipate.
According to CNN and Bloomberg News, Ian, which caused significant damage in Florida, made landfall in South Carolina the previous afternoon with strong winds of 136 km/h and has been weakening gradually as it transformed into a tropical storm. As of 5 a.m. on the 1st, the NHC reported that Ian's maximum wind speed had decreased to 55 km/h. It also forecasted rainfall of 50 to 100 mm in South Carolina and North Carolina, with some areas possibly receiving up to 152 mm.
U.S. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in North Carolina following South Carolina and ordered federal assistance, maintaining a high level of alert.
Florida, which took a direct hit from the ultra-strong Category 4 hurricane, suffered extensive damage to houses, bridges, and other infrastructure. Although Ian has passed, major river flooding is expected to continue into next week.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed concerns that restoration could take years, and Bloomberg estimated the damage costs to range between $68 billion and $100 billion.
Power outages continue, with nearly 1.7 million households across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia still without electricity as of the morning of the same day.
According to the outage tracking site "PowerOutage," over 1.23 million households in Florida remain without power this morning. Bloomberg reported that at one point, 2.7 million households in Florida were without electricity, accounting for 24% of the entire state.
Authorities have begun restoration efforts, but rebuilding infrastructure is expected to take considerable time, raising concerns that some households may be without power for over a month.
In addition, 270,000 households in North Carolina, 75,000 in Virginia, and 41,000 in South Carolina are also experiencing power outages. Puerto Rico, which suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Fiona earlier, still has nearly 210,000 households without electricity.
The death toll is also rising.
AP News reported that the death toll in Florida due to Ian has risen to 30, while CNN's own count indicates at least 45 fatalities in Florida. The New York Times (NYT) confirmed that 16 people died in Lee County alone, marking it as the area with the highest number of casualties in Florida.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Consulate General stated that no Korean casualties related to Ian have been reported yet. The consulate is maintaining an emergency contact network with local Korean associations and consular collaborators to prepare for any possible incidents.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
