The death toll from Hurricane Ian passed 80 on Sunday after it trapped residents in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina and drew criticism from officials over their response to the disaster.
The death toll is expected to rise as floodwaters recede and search teams move to remote areas.
Hundreds of people were rescued as emergency personnel searched homes and buildings that were flooded or completely destroyed.
Since Ian hit the Florida coast on Wednesday, at least 85 deaths have been confirmed related to the storm, with catastrophic strength as a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum winds of 150 miles per hour.
All but four of the deaths occurred in Florida, with the coastal Lee County mayor’s office counting 42 deaths in the county that suffered the most from the storm when it made landfall, and officials in four neighboring counties counted 39 deaths. have registered another.
Lee County officials faced questions about whether they issued the evacuation order in time.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will witness the devastation in Florida live on Wednesday, the White House announced in a statement on Saturday.
Biden and his wife are scheduled to visit Puerto Rico on Monday, where hundreds of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit the island.
Source: Lebanon Debate
