Death Toll Rises As Ian Churns North After Striking The Carolinas

Florida's Southern Gulf Coast Continues Clean Up Efforts In Wake Of Hurricane Ian

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The death toll from Hurricane Ian in Florida rose to 54 on Saturday (October 1), NBC News reported. An additional four people were killed in North Carolina as Ian churned up the East Coast. There were no reports of fatalities in South Carolina.

Ian slammed into Florida as a monster Category 4 storm on Wednesday and carved a path of destruction across the state.

U.S. Coast Guard Commander Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson said that around 4,000 people have been rescued across Florida and that additional search and rescue operations are underway.

After making landfall for a second time in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm on Friday, Ian quickly weakened and has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 25 mph. Ian continues to churn north and will bring flooding rains to southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia.

Ian knocked out power to around 160,000 people across North Carolina and nearly 50,000 in Virginia, according to USA Today.

Power has been mostly restored across South Carolina, though about 20,000 people still remained without power as of Saturday afternoon.

Ian is expected to produce an additional 1 to 3 inches of rainfall, with locally heavier amounts possible, across portions of the Central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic," the National Hurricane Center said. "Limited flash, urban and small stream flooding is possible across the Central Appalachians and portions of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend."


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