Florida reportó más de 50 muertos por el huracán Ian / Hurricane Ian death toll may have surpassed 50

“Estuve por horas agazapado en mi porche por horas, nunca en mi vida estuve tan asustado. Realmente pensé que iba a morir”, confesó uno de los hombres que rescataron

Las autoridades de Florida reportaron este sábado 53 muertes por el huracán Ian mientras que el gobernador de Carolina del Norte informó de cuatro decesos confirmados por el poderoso ciclón, que no ha dejado por el momento víctimas mortales en Carolina del Sur.

De acuerdo con la Comisión de Forenses Médicos de Florida, hasta este sábado se habían reportado 53 decesos por Ian, el mayor número de ellos en el condado Lee, en la costa suroeste de este estado, la zona más impactada y por donde el huracán tocó tierra el pasado miércoles con vientos máximos sostenidos de 240 km/h.

Por su parte, el gobernador de Carolina del Norte, Roy Cooper, informó hoy que se han registrado por el momento cuatro decesos, tres de ellos por accidentes en vehículos ocurridos el viernes a causa de las condiciones meteorológicas producidas por Ian, que ese día tocó tierra en la vecina Carolina del Sur y poco después se degradó a ciclón postropical.

En ese estado no se han reportado decesos, según dijo hoy su gobernador, Henry McMaster, quien dijo que la electricidad se ha restablecido casi en su totalidad. «Hay algo de daño, algo de angustia, hay trabajo por hacer. Pero en general, es una buena historia», resumió McMaster.

Situación en Florida

En Florida, por el contrario, la historia es muy diferente, donde este sábado, tres días después del impacto del ciclón, aún permanecen en refugios levantados por las autoridades más de 10.000 personas, según dijeron a los medios funcionarios de la Agencia Federal de Gestión de Emergencias (FEMA) desplazados en la zona.

Agregaron que continúan realizando operaciones de rescate de personas que siguen atrapadas en sus viviendas, en especial en las islas de Sanibel y el poblado de Latchala, donde aún no hay agua potable, luz ni infraestructura básica.

Uno de los que sobrevivieron a Ian fue George Luty, residente del parque móvil Oyster Bay, en la Isla San Carlos, la cual forma parte de Fort Myers Beach.

Este hombre de 44 años relató a EFE que debió bucear para escapar de su vivienda inundada como consecuencia del aumento del nivel del mar (en partes hasta más de cuatro metros) a causa de la marejada ciclónica.

«Estuve por horas agazapado en mi porche por horas, nunca en mi vida estuve tan asustado. Realmente pensé que iba a morir», confesó.

Operaciones de salvamento

Según datos de la oficina del gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, hasta la mañana de este sábado se habían efectuado más de un millar de rescates.

En el condado Lee, donde se asientan esas comunidades y toda la zona de Fort Myers, y donde sus autoridades reportaron hoy 35 decesos, el 73 % de su población seguía sin energía eléctrica hasta este mediodía, si bien el proceso de restablecimiento se hace a pasos acelerados, como dijo DeSantis.

Ejecutivos de FPL, la principal compañía de energía de Florida, dijeron que en las primeras 48 horas tras el impacto del huracán el proceso de restauración de luz ha superado al que lograron hace cinco años, cuando el huracán Irma impactó este estado y la firma alcanzó un récord.

Elon Musk pone a disposición su red Starlink

El gobernador de Florida dio a conocer hoy que la firma SpaceX, del magnate Elon Musk, ha puesto a disposición de este estado su red de satélites Starlink para ayudar en la conexión a internet, y que ha donado el costo asociado a esta cobertura.

Agregó que se han llevado al suroeste de Florida más de 1,6 millones de gasolina y que se han habilitado más de 1.300 millas de vías.

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC) de EE.UU. señaló que el ciclón postropical puede producir hoy hasta 100 mililitros de lluvias sobre el centro de la cordillera de los Apalaches, es decir en zonas de Tennessee, Kentucky y West Virginia, donde se pueden producir inundaciones y fuertes rachas de vientos.

Los meteorólogos estiman que Ian se podría disipar en el transcurso de esta tarde o noche, mientras se desplaza sobre el estado de Virginia.

Por EFE -octubre 1, 2022

Hurricane Ian death toll may have surpassed 50

Those confirmed dead across eight counties range from age 22 to 92.

Florida officials estimate there may be more than 50 deaths across eight counties linked to Hurricane Ian.

At least 18 of the people who died drowned. Three died when their oxygen machines stopped working due to power outages.

The youngest fatality confirmed by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission was a 22-year-old woman in Manatee County. The oldest confirmed death was a 92-year-old man in Lee County.

Here is a summary of what Florida officials have reported by county.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY

There were 12 deaths in Charlotte County, all unconfirmed, said Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s emergency management director.
The medical examiner must determine if a death is storm-related or not, Guthrie said, which is why several counties have reported some deaths as “unconfirmed” for the time being.

COLLIER COUNTY

Three deaths were confirmed to be from drowning. The victims included a 73-year-old woman who was found on Thursday; a 73-year-old woman who was found on Wednesday, and a 64-year-old woman who was found on Wednesday.

Guthrie said Friday morning that there were eight unconfirmed deaths in Collier County.

It was unclear if the three confirmed Collier County deaths announced Friday evening were included in the eight that Guthrie mentioned earlier in the day.

LAKE COUNTY

The one death reported in Lake County was a 38-year-old man who died in a crash when his car hydroplaned on Wednesday, the Medical Examiners Commission said.

LEE COUNTY

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno on Friday afternoon announced 16 storm-related deaths and five non-storm-related deaths. Marceno didn’t provide further details.

That’s the first preliminary fatality count out of the region that Gov. Ron DeSantis described as “ground zero” and “where the storm packed its biggest punch.”

On Friday night, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission reported 12 deaths in Lee County. It’s unclear if those deaths were included in Marceno’s announcement.

All but one of the deaths reported were caused by drowning. The one exception was ruled a natural death because the 82-year-old man had a history of disease.

Three of the county’s fatalities had unconfirmed or unknown ages.

MANATEE COUNTY

A 22-year-old woman died in the county after she was ejected from an ATV during a rollover on Friday due to road washout, according to the Medical Examiners Commission.

POLK COUNTY

The county has one confirmed death, according to Guthrie.

SARASOTA COUNTY

The county’s four deaths included a 71-year-old man who died from head injuries on Tuesday when he fell off a roof while putting up shutters, according to the Medical Examiners Commission.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office provided details about the deaths of a 94-year-old man who lived near the Palmer Ranch area and an 80-year-old woman who lived near north Sarasota, saying both individuals relied on oxygen machines that were disabled from power outages.

On Friday night, the Medical Examiners Commission announced the death of an 80-year-old man who collapsed after being unable to use oxygen.

VOLUSIA COUNTY

The county had four fatalities from drowning, including a 91-year-old man who was found on Thursday; a 79 year-old man also found on Thursday; a 67-year-old man who was found on Friday, and a 68-year-old woman who was swept into the ocean by a wave and found on Thursday, according to the Medical Examiners Commission.

The official death toll has continued to rise as emergency responders from across the state descend into the hardest-hit areas.

DeSantis noted on Friday that some of the newer buildings in the worst-hit areas like Fort Myers Beach, Captiva and Sanibel Island stood up to the storm.

“But man, I’ll tell you, those older homes that just aren’t as strong built, they got washed into the sea, some of them,” DeSantis said at a press conference. “And so if you were hunkering down in that, that is something that I think would be difficult to be survivable.”

In Sarasota County, where four deaths have been confirmed, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman described the storm as “significant and catastrophic.”

“I’ve lived in this community for over four decades and I have never seen a storm of this strength that has done this much damage,” Hoffman said Friday.

Guthrie described a grim situation at a home in an undisclosed location in Lee County with apparent drowning victims.

“Let me paint the picture for you. The water was up over the rooftop but we had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he could identify what appeared to be human remains.”

Guthrie noted that there are “a couple of other situations” in the area with similar circumstances. Much of the county remains without power or water. There were 10-foot-high storm surges when the hurricane made landfall, Lee County Sheriff Marceno said.

“It’s definitely the worst thing I’ve seen in my life, and I’m a lifelong Floridian,” Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman told the Miami Herald on Friday. “We don’t even have water getting to the hospitals.”
By Tess Riski and Grethel Aguila Miami Herald

MORE INFORMATION IN SOURCE ORIGINAL

https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2022/10/01/hurricane-ian-death-toll-may-have-surpassed-50/