US President Joe Biden has said that Hurricane Ian "could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history". Biden said during a visit to Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington DC, referring to Ian, now a tropical storm, "It is still moving across the state today," Xinhua news agency reported.
"The numbers are still unclear, but we're hearing early reports of what may be a substantial loss of life," he noted.
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Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon, bringing catastrophic storm surges, heavy rains and destructive winds, and dangerous flooding to both coast and inland areas.
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Ian is forecast to regain hurricane strength on Thursday evening and make landfall in South Carolina on Friday.
As the battle with Hurricane Ian continues, here are five of Florida's most deadly and destructive hurricanes in recent years.
Hurricane Andrew in 1992
The Category 5 hurricane struck South Miami-Dade County with winds of 165 miles per hour (270 km per hour), causing an estimated $25 billion in damages in the state. Fifteen people were killed as a direct effect of the storm. Andrew ranked as the most expensive storm in US history until Hurricane Katrina raged through New Orleans in 2005.
Hurricane Charley in 2004
Charley was an unexpectedly strong hurricane, rapidly evolving into a Category 4 storm just before making landfall at Cayo Costa, an island of Florida's Gulf Coast. It cost an estimated $6.8 billion, according to the NHC.
Hurricane Wilma in 2005
The bill for hurricane Wilma's property damage was particularly high at an estimated $20.6 billion in the US. Wilma ravaged the southern part of the state, generating wind gusts of more than 100 mph (161 kph).
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Hurricane Irma in 2017
Irma was unique for its extensive size and slow movement, which exacerbated the storm’s damaging winds and heavy rainfall. It left 6.5 million without power in the state and caused an estimated $50 billion in property damage, making it one of the costliest hurricanes in US history.
Hurricane Michael in 2018
Michael was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Weather Service. Wind and storm surge caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach areas. 43 indirect deaths were attributed to the storm.
(With Reuters info)
