Hurricane Ian makes landfall in South Carolina after devastating Florida

By Jessica Schladebeck, Dave Goldiner and Joseph Wilkinson

New York Daily News

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Sep 30, 2022 at 3:48 pm

A reenergized Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina on Friday, one day after the storm ripped across Florida, killing at least 42 people and trapping thousands of people inside their homes.

The death toll was expected to rise as emergency crews gained access to more areas.

Remnants of the storm are expected to lash the mid-Atlantic region, including New York, with heavy rain and wind Saturday.

Ian set upon South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane at 2:05 p.m. Friday around Georgetown, according to the National Hurricane Center. The surging storm packed 85 mph sustained winds, but the bigger danger came from torrential rain.

About three hours later, Ian was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. But the storm remained dangerous, with winds of 70 mph and rain pouring down in giant bands.

Jordan Reidy carries his dog, Ivory, back to their second-floor apartment after fleeing when Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The winds in South Carolina were significantly weaker than the 150 mph blasts that swirled when Ian made landfall Wednesday afternoon near Fort Myers in Florida. Ian was a Category 4 hurricane at that point.

The storm then barreled across the Sunshine State, where residents have only begun to contend with the massive damage and flooding brought on by the major hurricane.

First responders with Orange County Fire Rescue use a boat to rescue a resident in a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)

While regaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean, Ian remained a large storm — large enough to put the entire South Carolina coast under a hurricane warning. The storm eventually hit the state about 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency days in advance, but no South Carolinians were ordered to evacuate before the storm struck.

“We know what’s coming,” McMaster said during a news conference. “But the biggest variable is human reaction. It’s people failing to take the necessary precautions. That’s the real danger that we have, is human error.”

This GOES-16 satellite image taken at 1:01 p.m. EDT and provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Ian over the South Carolina coast, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP)

Luckily for the South Carolina coast, Ian picked up speed over the ocean. When Ian hit Florida, it was moving only 9 mph and then slowed down to deluge the state with rain, causing massive flooding. When Ian reached South Carolina it was traveling approximately 15 mph, the NHC said, meaning the storm would spend less time inundating the coast.

But the speed of the storm, combined with its massive size, meant much of the Carolinas and Virginia were fated to get drenched with rain. Governors in North Carolina and Virginia also declared states of emergency.

A bicyclist rides through the standing water as law enforcement blocks the intersection to traffic, during the effects from Hurricane Ian, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in Folly Island, S.C. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The winds were too much for Charleston International Airport, which closed its airfield Friday and planned to reopen early Saturday.

In Florida Wednesday, Ian flooded homes along the coastline, cut off the only road access to a barrier island, destroyed a historic waterfront pier and knocked out electricity to 2.6 million homes and businesses.

Rescuers waded through flooded streets and searched by sky Friday for those still trapped inside their homes. At least 700 rescues have been carried out so far by the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard and urban search-and-rescue teams.

In an aerial view, damaged buildings are seen as Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Some rescue teams were conducting “hasty” searches to save as many people as quickly as possible, according to Florida Division of Emergency Management leader Kevin Guthrie. He used the example of an entire home under water.

“The water was up over the rooftop, right, but we had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he could identify that it appeared to contain human remains. We do not know exactly how many,” Guthrie said.

At least two more thorough sweeps will occur as the recovery effort continues, according to Guthrie.

President Biden pledged to give aid to Florida at the same time as he warned people in South Carolina not to take the threat of Hurricane Ian lightly.

”It’s not just a crisis for Florida. It’s an American crisis,” the president said. “This is one fight. We’re in this together.”

Frank Bruno speaks with members of the Texas A&M Task Force 1 Search and Rescue team as they look for anyone needing help after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 30, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. Mr. Bruno said he road the storm out in his home and told the search team members that he was okay. (Joe Raedle/Getty)

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An estimated 1.8 million Florida homes and businesses remained without power on Friday afternoon. Nearly all of Hardee County, a less populous area inland from Tampa, was in the dark in wake of the storm, with 99% of customers having no electricity.

Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral, was one of the counties that bore the brunt of Ian’s wrath. The storm wiped out utilities on Wednesday, and they mostly had not been restored by Friday.

“Lee County does not have water,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday, adding that only 15% of region has had its power restored. DeSantis claimed that more than 42,000 linemen and associated personnel were on the ground working to restore utilities.

With Orange County Fire Rescue on the scene, residents of Arden Villas apartments use rubber boats, air mattresses and kiddie pools to float their belongings out of their homes, Friday, September 30, 2022, after heavy rains from Hurricane Ian flooded the complex near the University of Central Florida on Thursday. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

The nearby counties of Charlotte, Desoto and Highlands remained largely off the grid on Friday afternoon. In Sarasota County, a popular vacation destination and retirement area, about 50% of people had electricity.

Days after Ian struck, Biden said officials are still starting to come to grips with the damage.

“Our hearts go out to those whose lives have been literally devastated,” he said. ”We are just beginning to see the scale of the destruction.”