Hurricane Ian ravages Florida after landfall; many houses swept away

Hurricane Ian brought 'catastrophic' storm surges, wind, and flooding to much of coastal southwest Florida on Wednesday, prompting officials to prepare a massive emergency response.

The US Border Patrol reported that 20 migrants had gone missing after their boat capsized, with four Cubans swimming to shore in the Florida Keys islands and three being rescued at sea by the coast guard. Visuals from the hurricane, which is now one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the United States, showed reporters being blown away by the strong winds and sharks occupying city streets after being washed ashore.

A category four storm slammed into the Florida coast, with winds reaching 241 kilometres per hour (kmph). According to reports, more than 1.8 million people in Florida were without power. According to the AP, nearly every home and business in three counties was without power.

The eye of the 'extremely dangerous' hurricane made landfall on the barrier island of Cayo Costa, west of Fort Myers, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Floodwaters swept into beachfront homes, submerged roads, and swept away vehicles in dramatic television footage from the coastal city of Naples.

Before making landfall in Florida, the storm ripped through Cuba, killing two people. It also knocked out the country's electrical grid, leaving 11 million people without power.

As the storm caused massive flooding throughout Florida, the federal government sent 300 ambulances equipped with medical teams and prepared to provide 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million litres of water once the storm passed.

US President Joe Biden assured the public that the government would "be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get back on its feet." "And we'll be there every step of the way," he added. That is my absolute commitment to the people of Florida."

Also Read: Hurricane Ian: Cuba suffers complete blackout after storm, Florida on high alert

Also Read: NASA Astra rocket suffers failure, loses two hurricane monitoring satellites

• Florida
• Hurricane Ian
• United States