Losses of tens of billions of dollars

Hurricane Ian wreaks havoc in the United States

An aerial photograph showing the extent of the devastation in Florida.

AFP

Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina tried yesterday to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the mainland United States, which caused tens of billions of dollars in damages and killed an unknown number of people.

The hurricane swept the Florida Gulf Coast last Wednesday, turning coastal towns into disaster areas, before it reached a speed of 140 kilometers per hour when it hit the coastal city of Georgetown, north of the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, the day before yesterday.

Roads were flooded and blocked by trees, while sidewalks were damaged, and about 1.9 million homes and businesses were without electricity in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

The number of casualties and the costs of repairing losses are still unclear, but as Florida enters its third day after Ian's invasion, the extent of the damage is becoming clear.

The state's director of emergency management, Kevin Guthrie, said there were reports of at least 21 deaths.

He added that it is not possible to know the conditions of nearly 10,000 people, but it is likely that many of them are in shelters or without electricity.

Meanwhile, insurers are preparing to pay $28 billion to $47 billion in damages for what may be the highest losses from a Florida storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

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