People Trapped, 2.5M Without Power as Ian Drenches Florida
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane Ian carved a path of destruction across Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, cutting off the only bridge to a barrier island, damaging a hospital from above and below and knocking out power to 2.5 million people as it dumped rain over a huge area on Thursday (Sept. 29), according to an Associated Press report.
One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States threatened catastrophic flooding around the state. Ian’s tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 415 miles (665 km), drenching much of Florida and the southeastern Atlantic coast.
Authorities confirmed at least one storm death in Florida — a 72-year-old man in Deltona who fell into a canal while using a hose to drain his pool in the heavy rain, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Another Florida sheriff said he believes the death toll would be “in the hundreds.” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that roads and bridges remained impassable, stranding thousands of people calling 911 to be rescued in the county that includes Fort Myers.
“It crushed us,” Marceno said. “We still cannot access many of the people that are in need.”
Source: https://rvbusiness.com/people-trapped-2-5m-without-power-as-ian-drenches-florida/
