Summary
Here are the key developments of the day:
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Ian to a post-tropical cyclone, but warned that the dangers of life-threatening storm surge, flash flooding and high winds continues in the Carolinas, where Ian made its second US landfall earlier today.
Hundreds of thousands of people are without power across North and South Carolina and authorities have advised residents to stay vigilant as high winds are expected to knock out more trees and power lines. “We are not out of the woods, there is water on the roads, still heavy winds, and it is still dangerous in many parts of the state,” the South Carolina governor said.
Ian destroyed at least four piers along South Carolina’s northern coast. Myrtle Beach endured the brunt of the surge while Pawleys Island, which lost its pier, has faced catastrophic flooding, police there said.
The storm appears to have spared the historic South Carolina city of Charleston the worst of its fury, having made landfall about 60 miles (97 km) farther north than once forecast, but more flooding is still expected.
In Florida, Hurricane Ian’s death toll rose to at least 21, authorities said, and is expected to grow further. Two elderly residents in Sarasota county died when their oxygen supplies became disconnected in the storm, officials reported.
Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis said more than 3,000 wrecked or flooded homes in the worst hit south-west of the state had been visited by search and rescue crews, and hundreds of residents brought to safety.
More than 1.9 million customers across Florida were still without electricity, DeSantis said, with some areas not expected to be reconnected for weeks while power grids are rebuilt.
Joe Biden said America’s heart “is literally breaking” at the apocalyptic scenes from Florida, and signed a major disaster declaration for four more counties, bringing the total to 13. The move frees federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts, and for individual disaster relief from the hurricane Biden said was “likely to rank among worst in the nation’s history”.
Dani Anguiano and Richard Luscombe
Updated
Florida sheriff Carmine Marceno has shared footage of the devastation in Florida. The video posted on Thursday shows a trail of destruction in Lee County, including the partially collapsed Sanibel Causeway.
The coast guard has staged rescue missions on Sanibel Island, and earlier today brought two people and three cats to safety by helicopter.
This morning Sheriff Carmine Marceno took a tour of Lee County to begin assessing damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
— Carmine Marceno - Florida’s Law and Order Sheriff (@SheriffLeeFL) September 29, 2022
We are devastated. Our hearts go out to every resident who is impacted. The Lee County Sheriffs Office is mobile and will stop at nothing to help our residents. pic.twitter.com/S4OsB8ajRv
