Thread: End of Ian

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Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno originally told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he confirmed "fatalities are in the hundreds" after Hurricane Ian struck, but the outlet later said he could not confirm any casualties.

5 AM (EST) update

At 500 AM EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Ian was located near latitude 30.8 North, longitude 79.1 West. Ian is moving toward the north-northeast near 9 mph (15 km/h). A turn toward the north with an increase in forward speed is expected this morning, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest by tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Ian will approach and reach the coast of South Carolina today, and then move farther inland across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina tonight and Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph (140 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected before Ian reaches the coast later today. Rapid weakening is expected after landfall, and Ian is forecast to become an extratropical low over North Carolina tonight or on Saturday. The low is then expected to dissipate by Saturday night.

Ian should make landfall today and fall apart shortly afterwards.

SW Florida death toll to date – 15

Hopefully the Carolinas will not have any.

• It’s pretty much over

At 800 PM EDT (0000 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian was located near latitude 34.7 North, longitude 79.3 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the north near 15 mph (24 km/h). Ian is forecast to move farther inland across central North Carolina overnight into Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 60 mph (95 km/h)with higher gusts. These winds are occurring primarily over water. Ian should continue to weaken overnight and dissipate over central North Carolina or Virginia late tomorrow.

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Ian’s death toll rises as massive rescue efforts continue in Florida

At least 21 deaths likely caused by the hurricane, though some news reports had higher totals


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• Just a note……

NHC officials warned Thursday night that many hurricane-related deaths occur days after the storm has passed while people are recovering.

• These deaths, also called "indirect deaths," primarily arise from excessive heat and over-exertion and carbon monoxide poisoning from running generators indoors.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

The reason for this thread. Can’t post on the other.

Which other?

Overzealous mod thread banning people again?

Ian's death toll reaches 87

The fatalities so far have included 83 in Florida, where Ian struck as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday, and four in North Carolina, where the storm ended up after striking the coast of South Carolina Friday.

^Very sad, indeed. Been watching it on the news... it hit right after Fiona hit Canada's East coast..
So much destruction and loss of life.

Death toll is up to 109 from one news outlet and 98 from another.

Insured losses to onshore property from Hurricane Ian could range between $42 billion and $57 billion. Not even close to Hurricane Katrina’s cost of $186.3 billion.

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

We just sold the house in Palm Coast

It’s a relief not having to worry about the house in Florida, but sad not having a house there. Difficult maintaining a home when you are not there.

I sold mine shortly after Thailand became more than a holiday destination; for the same reason, and just a few months before the housing bubble.

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

with global warming and these storms becoming more frequent, I am not sure if it is a good idea.

I am not sure more frequent but they are becoming more powerful.

Owning Florida property along the coast or in low lying areas (east of I-95/east of US 1) is not a good idea. And why; months ago, the last piece of property owned in Dade County was sold. It wasn’t even on the market.

• Many died in Ian by drowning. There were post-storm deaths, too

Causes of death in Hurricane Ian: Many drownings but also post-storm suicides, accidents

Hurricane Ian is one of the deadliest storms in Florida’s history, with over 115 fatalities confirmed by state and county authorities. But the hurricane’s magnitude is also reflected in the geographic area in which those deaths occurred, spanning the peninsula from north of Daytona Beach to the Lower Keys.

Floridians died while preparing for the storm, fleeing storm surge and while cleaning up yard debris in the aftermath, according to data from the state Medical Examiners Commission.

The youngest storm victim whose death state authorities have confirmed was a 19-year-old woman fleeing from Cuba — who was among at least seven migrants who drowned when their boat sank near Key West. The oldest was a 96-year-old man in Charlotte County who drowned while trapped under a parked vehicle. The majority of victims were 60 or older, with the most common age being 73. The data were first reported by the USA Today Network-Florida.

Some of those deaths occurred after the storm passed — a threat Gov. Ron DeSantis warned about last week. “In some of the recent storms across the country, you’ve had more fatalities after the storm hit than because of the storm directly, and that is for a variety of different reasons,” DeSantis said a day before Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida.

At least two deaths recorded after the storm were linked to emotional trauma. “Decedent was found with [a] self-inflicted gunshot wound to head after losing belongings in hurricane,” was the summary of what happened to a 70-year-old Lee County man, who authorities believe died on Saturday. The day prior, a 73-year-old man, also in Lee County, “shot himself after seeing property damage due to hurricane,” the MEC reported. A 60-year-old died after an apparent heart attack while cleaning his yard after the storm. An 82-year-old from Lee County died Wednesday from heart disease, after he forgot his prescribed medication during the evacuation. Four fatalities were of people who were oxygen-dependent and lost power during the storm.

Two women who did not evacuate their homes in Collier County were killed during the storm. One of them, a 73-year-old, was found floating in water by her husband. The other, who was 64, was found dead by her roommate.

So far, the state Medical Examiners Commission has confirmed 89 deaths. Some county sheriffs have reported higher numbers, including 24 deaths in Charlotte County. Over half of the deaths for which the cause is available were the result of drowning.

At least eight people drowned while driving or while trapped under a vehicle, according to the MEC. That includes a 64-year-old woman in Sarasota County who was trapped in her vehicle “while attempting to travel home from work.”

A day after Ian made landfall, President Joe Biden said the hurricane “could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history. DeSantis has disagreed with that assessment, though in the last week he has acknowledged that there is the “potential for significant fatalities.”

The deadliest hurricane in Florida history was the 1928 storm that struck Palm Beach County, killing more than 2,500 people.

THESE ARE THE LATEST NUMBERS BY COUNTY

▪ Charlotte: 24, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
▪ Collier: 5, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Hardee: 2, according to the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office
▪ Hendry: 4, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Hillsborough: 1, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Lake: 1, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Lee: 55, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office
▪ Manatee: 3, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Martin: 1, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Monroe: 7, according to the District 16 Medical Examiners Office
▪ Sarasota: 5, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Volusia: 5, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Polk: 2, according to the Medical Examiners Commission
▪ Putnam: 3, according to the Medical Examiners Commission

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• Death toll from Hurricane Ian rises

More than a week after Hurricane Ian hit, the number of storm-related deaths has risen to at least 101, per the Associated Press, with other outlets reporting a higher toll.

The big picture: Florida reported 92 of those, mostly consisting of people over the age of 50 in Lee County. Other deaths were in Cuba, North Carolina and Virginia.

• A heartbreaking story from the Tampa Bay Times memorializes Hillsborough County's two hurricane-related deaths.
• Most of those who died in Florida drowned due to the storm surge that Ian triggered, according to the state's Medical Examiners Commission.

Where it stands: Hurricane Ian is now the second-deadliest storm to strike the mainland U.S. in the 21st century, AP notes.

• It's second to Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people in 2005.
• Ian is also Florida's deadliest hurricane since 1935.

State of power: More than 200,000 homes and businesses across the state are without power, according to the state Public Service Commission.

• More than half of those are in Lee County. Sarasota still has 20,000 customers in the dark.

The big picture: The widespread damage caused by Ian has renewed discussion on building hurricane-resistant communities, as well as the difficult — and often emotional — choices people face when deciding whether to leave their homes or stay and rebuild in the face of devastating storms.

What they're saying: During a visit to Fort Myers Wednesday, President Biden said that "the one thing this has finally ended is the discussion about whether or not there's climate change, and whether we should do something about it," referencing devastating weather events in recent months.

• While Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican politicians in Florida have historically objected to major climate policy, the New York Times reports, "those leaders want federal help to rebuild their state — but don't want to discuss the underlying problem that is making hurricanes more powerful and destructive."

https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-ba...ian-death-toll

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• Hurricane Ian may have caused $67 billion in damage, a top 5 U.S. storm

Hurricane Ian likely caused $53 billion to $74 billion in insured losses from Florida to the Carolinas, with a "best estimate" of $67 billion, according to new data released today from modeling firm RMS.

The big picture: These preliminary damage totals would make Hurricane Ian the costliest storm in Florida history and second nationally to Hurricane Katrina when adjusted for inflation.

• The storm, which devastated densely populated areas of southwest Florida — including Ft. Myers, Naples and barrier island communities such as Sanibel Island — killed at least 92 people in Florida alone, according to the Associated Press.
• RMS, which is part of Moody's, also estimated the federal National Flood Insurance Program could see $10 billion in losses from storm surge and inland flooding from the storm.
• Much of the damage from this storm is from water, with the coastal surge wiping out homes and businesses near the shore, and inland flooding hitting record levels across central Florida in particular.
• Wind damage was less extensive, likely due to strict building codes in the region, according to Steve Bowen, chief science officer at reinsurance broker Gallagher Re.

By the numbers: According to the Insurance Information Institute, 2021's Hurricane Ida was the most expensive hurricane on record in Florida, with $36 billion in insured losses there.

• Nationally, 2005's Hurricane Katrina ranked at the top of the list, with about $85 billion in insured losses, when adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index.

What they're saying: "Ian was a historic and complex event that will reshape the Florida insurance market for years to come," said Mohsen Rahnama, chief risk modeling officer at RMS, in a statement.

• Bowen, who is currently surveying damage in Florida, said the damage from the storm surge has beaten his expectations. "The good news is that newer constructed buildings in many communities seemed to have performed very well given the intense wind speeds," which he chalked up to strict building code standards.

Yes, but: Bowen cautions that final loss numbers won't be known for many months.

• "Given the anticipated volume of storm-related litigation to come, everyone needs to be mindful of the ongoing financial uncertainty and that numbers are going to evolve for many months to come. If not longer," he said.
• "There is no question that Ian will go down as one of the costliest U.S. natural catastrophe events on record, and one of the most expensive for the insurance industry. Where it finally lands on the Top 5 list? TBD."

Context: Hurricanes are becoming more intense, undergoing more episodes of rapid intensification and are delivering more rainfall due to human-caused climate change.

• This may drive a future escalation in storm losses, though so far damage trends are dominated by the huge influx of people moving to vulnerable areas.

https://www.axios.com/2022/10/07/hur...-storm-florida

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Extra.

• Dr. Robert Rohde - If you think the US has been hit by a lot of strong hurricanes in recent years, you'd be right.

It has been the most intense 5-year period on record. https://twitter.com/RARohde/status/1575418893547573249

• Hurricane Ian increased flesh-eating bacteria infections among Florida residents

Parts of Florida hit hardest by Hurricane Ian are seeing nearly double the normal number of infections from a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in brackish floodwaters.

According to the Florida Department of Health, the state has seen 65 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections and 11 deaths from the bacterium in 2022. Lee County, where Ian made landfall on Sept 28 as a category 4 storm, accounts for 45% of the cases.

What is Vibrio vulnificus?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Vibrio vulnificus lives in warm seawater and is a type of foodborne illness-causing bacteria called "halophilic" because they require salt to survive.

The bacteria population increases during the warmer summer months and may also see a boost after sewage spills into coastal waters, as it did during Hurricane Ian.

The storm brought more than 17 inches of rain over West-Central Florida, leading to surges of up to 12 feet.

Infections can lead to skin breakouts and ulcers

Vibrio vulnificus infections can be caused by eating undercooked oysters and shellfish.

But in the aftermath of a hurricane, infections typically start when open wounds, cuts or scratches come into direct contact with warm brackish water. Skin breakdowns and ulcers follow.

Severe illness from Vibrio vulnificus infections is rare. This is the first time the number of cases in Florida has risen above 50 since 2008, when the Florida Department of Health began reporting data on infections.

But for those with weakened immune systems from medication or chronic disease, the infection can become life-threatening if the bacteria enter the bloodstream, leading to symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting, fever and chills.

Floodwater contact remains a big risk

When it comes to preventing infections, the Florida Department of Health reminds residents to remember that "water and wounds don't mix." It advises residents not to wade through standing water and to avoid eating or drinking anything that has touched floodwaters.

Those who do come into contact with floodwaters should immediately wash and clean all wounds. You should seek medical care if infections show signs of infection such as redness, oozing or swelling.

Overall risk will decrease as the Vibrio vulnificus population shrinks in late October, when Florida's hot weather wanes.

A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health told CNN that the number of reported infections has already started to decrease since the hurricane first hit.