{"id":819310,"date":"2022-09-29T17:12:42","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T17:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=7baa46a48cc26f3dcc967b1de4555036"},"modified":"2022-09-29T17:12:42","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T17:12:42","slug":"biden-declares-disaster-in-florida-as-record-breaking-hurricane-ian-floods-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/09\/29\/biden-declares-disaster-in-florida-as-record-breaking-hurricane-ian-floods-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Declares Disaster in Florida as Record-Breaking Hurricane Ian Floods State"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Joe Biden approved a <\/span>disaster declaration in Florida<\/span><\/a> on Thursday morning as Hurricane Ian, now downgraded to <\/span>a tropical storm<\/span><\/a>, swept through the state in a record storm surge, leaving homes destroyed <\/span>and millions<\/span><\/a> without power.<\/span><\/p>\n

The storm surge was record-breaking <\/span>in some areas<\/span><\/a> of Southwest Florida, causing flooding and <\/span>up to 155 mph wind gusts<\/span><\/a>. Just shy of <\/span>a Category 5 storm<\/span><\/a>, Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 storm, one of the strongest to hit <\/span>the southwestern part of the state<\/span><\/a>. It raged through the <\/span>central part of Florida<\/span><\/a> on Wednesday and Thursday, hammering the <\/span>central and eastern parts<\/span><\/a> of the state with floods even as it was downgraded to a tropical storm early Thursday morning. <\/span><\/p>\n

The death toll of the hurricane is unknown, though the county sheriff for Florida\u2019s Lee County, one of the <\/span>worst-hit areas<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>predicts<\/span><\/a> that the death toll could be in the hundreds, and said that there are thousands of people waiting to be rescued \u2014 many of them stranded and <\/span>unable to evacuate<\/span><\/a>. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, there <\/span>are nine hospitals<\/span><\/a> in Lee County that didn\u2019t have water as of Thursday morning. <\/span><\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s emergency declaration <\/span>unlocks<\/span><\/a> funding and federal resources for provisions like temporary housing and property loss in nine counties. The White House may approve an emergency declaration for more areas of the state as the storm continues on its path north <\/span>into Georgia and the Carolinas<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The National Hurricane Center <\/span>is expecting<\/span><\/a> Ian to restrengthen <\/span>into a Category 1 hurricane<\/span><\/a> on Thursday and into Friday. The <\/span>governors of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia<\/span><\/a> have all preemptively declared a state of emergency over the storm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian was <\/span>likely worsened<\/span><\/a> by effects of the climate crisis. Warmer <\/span>water temperatures in the Atlantic<\/span><\/a> \u201cturbocharged\u201d the storm, as <\/span>The Associated Press<\/span><\/i> wrote, allowing the storm to gain more strength at a faster pace than if the waters hadn\u2019t been warmed by greenhouse gas effects. Such conditions have almost certainly been causing storms like Ian to be stronger, and for strong storms to hit more often, climate experts say.<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, storm <\/span>hunters<\/span><\/a> and experts have noted that Ian has been remarkable in many ways. One hurricane hunter, Nick Underwood, <\/span>noted<\/span><\/a> remarkable amounts of lightning around the eye of the storm, which <\/span>had cycled<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>rapidly<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>severely intensified<\/span><\/a> the storm on Tuesday night <\/span>as it approached<\/span><\/a> Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n

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*RARE* first person view of storm surge. This camera is 6 feet off the ground on Estero Blvd in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Not sure how much longer it keeps working. You\u2019ll see it live only on \u2066@weatherchannel<\/a>\u2069 #Ian<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WwHtvgVxjY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) September 28, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n