Hurricane Ian Death Toll Rises To Over 80
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
VENICE, USA (Worthy News) – The death toll of Hurricane Ian past 80, while residents in the U.S. state of Florida and the Carolinas faced recovery costs expected in the tens of billions of dollars.
Insurers were also bracing for up to $57 billion in claims as they assessed the damage from one of the most devastating storms to hit Florida and South Carolina.
The industry projection included estimated wind, storm surge, and inland flood losses from Ian’s landfalls in the two states.
It did not include elements such as losses to the National Flood Insurance Program and any potential impacts of litigation or social inflation that could lead to a total insured industry loss of $60 billion.
Over 590,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Florida early Monday, after Hurricane Ian crashed across the state on September 28-29.
That was much less than the more than four million customers who lost power after Ian crashed ashore in Florida’s Gulf with destructive force Wednesday as a category four hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour.
At least 85 storm-related deaths have been confirmed since then.
But while the recovery in Florida began, U.S. President Joe Biden was on his way to announce more than $60 million in aid to help Puerto Rico during a visit on Monday.
He said he wanted to survey the damage as the island grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.
The president has pledged the U.S. government’s support for Puerto Rico as well as the states of Florida and South Carolina, which have also been hit hard in recent days by Hurricane Ian. “I’m heading to Puerto Rico because they haven’t been taken very good care of,” Biden told reporters on his departure from the White House, an apparent reference to how his predecessor, Donald Trump.
“They’ve been trying like hell to catch up from the last hurricane. I want to see the state of affairs today and make sure we push everything we can,” Biden added.
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