Ian makes landfall in South Carolina

As Florida assesses the damage, storm downgrades to post-tropical cyclone

CHARLESTON, S.C. A revived Hurricane Ian battered coastal South Carolina on Friday, ripping apart piers and filling neighbourhoods with calf-high water, after the deadly storm caused catastrophic damage in Florida and trapped thousands in their homes.

Ian’s centre came ashore near Georgetown with much weaker winds than when it crossed Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as one of the strongest storms to ever hit the U.S. As it moved across South Carolina, Ian dropped from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone.

Sheets of rain whipped trees and power lines and left many areas on Charleston’s downtown peninsula under water. Four piers along the coast, including two at Myrtle Beach, collapsed into the churning waves and washed away. Online cameras showed seawater filling neighbourhoods in Garden City to calf level.

Ian left a broad swath of destruction in Florida, flooding areas on both of its coasts, tearing homes from their slabs, demolishing beachfront businesses and leaving more than 2 million people without power. At least nine people were confirmed dead in the U.S. — a number that was expected to increase as officials confirm more deaths and search for people.

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

Among those killed were an 80year-old woman and a 94-year-old man who relied on oxygen machines that stopped working amid power outages, as well as a 67-yearold man who was waiting to be rescued and fell into rising water inside his home, authorities said.

Officials fear the death toll could rise substantially, given the wide territory swamped by the storm.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said responders have focused so far on “hasty” searches, aimed at emergency rescues and initial assessments, which will be followed by two additional waves of searches. Initial responders who come across possible remains are leaving them without confirming, he said Friday.

Hours after weakening to a tropical storm while crossing the Florida peninsula, Ian regained strength Thursday evening over the Atlantic. Ian made landfall in South Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h.

In North Carolina, heavy rain bands and winds crept into the state Friday afternoon. Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents to be vigilant, given that up to 20.3 centimetres of rain could fall in some areas, with high winds.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was directing “every possible action be taken to save lives and get help to survivors.”

“It’s going to take months, years to rebuild,” Biden said.

It’s going to take months, years to rebuild.

U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN