The national hurricane center says Hurricane Ian has made landfall in South Carolina.
Update: Surface observations indicate that the center of #Hurricane#Ian made landfall on Sep 30 at 205 pm EDT (1805 UTC) near Georgetown, South Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and an estimated minimum central pressure of 977 mb (28.85 inches). pic.twitter.com/TNk43VBHUG
The eye of the hurricane has sped ashore near Georgetown and is now hurtling inland, pushing maximum sustained winds of 85mph.
With torrential rain and howling winds, the storm is set to ravage South Carolina and is already causing hazardous conditions and flooding further north.
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Ian to a post-tropical cyclone, but warned that the dangers of life-threatening storm surge, flash flooding and high winds continues in the Carolinas, where Ian made its second US landfall earlier today.
Hundreds of thousands of people are without power across North and South Carolina and authorities have advised residents to stay vigilant as high winds are expected to knock out more trees and power lines. “We are not out of the woods, there is water on the roads, still heavy winds, and it is still dangerous in many parts of the state,” the South Carolina governor said.
Ian destroyed at least four piers along South Carolina’s northern coast. Myrtle Beach endured the brunt of the surge while Pawleys Island, which lost its pier, has faced catastrophic flooding, police there said.
The storm appears to have spared the historic South Carolina city of Charleston the worst of its fury, having made landfall about 60 miles (97 km) farther north than once forecast, but more flooding is still expected.
In Florida, Hurricane Ian’s death toll rose to at least 21, authorities said, and is expected to grow further. Two elderly residents in Sarasota county died when their oxygen supplies became disconnected in the storm, officials reported.
Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis said more than 3,000 wrecked or flooded homes in the worst hit south-west of the state had been visited by search and rescue crews, and hundreds of residents brought to safety.
More than 1.9 million customers across Florida were still without electricity, DeSantis said, with some areas not expected to be reconnected for weeks while power grids are rebuilt.
Joe Biden said America’s heart “is literally breaking” at the apocalyptic scenes from Florida, and signed a major disaster declaration for four more counties, bringing the total to 13. The move frees federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts, and for individual disaster relief from the hurricane Biden said was “likely to rank among worst in the nation’s history”.
Florida sheriff Carmine Marceno has shared footage of the devastation in Florida. The video posted on Thursday shows a trail of destruction in Lee County, including the partially collapsed Sanibel Causeway.
The coast guard has staged rescue missions on Sanibel Island, and earlier today brought two people and three cats to safety by helicopter.
This morning Sheriff Carmine Marceno took a tour of Lee County to begin assessing damage caused by Hurricane Ian. We are devastated. Our hearts go out to every resident who is impacted. The Lee County Sheriffs Office is mobile and will stop at nothing to help our residents. pic.twitter.com/S4OsB8ajRv
— Carmine Marceno - Florida’s Law and Order Sheriff (@SheriffLeeFL) September 29, 2022
An aerial picture shows the collapsed Sanibel Causeway in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Sanibel, Florida. Photograph: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Sanibel Causeway in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Photograph: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images
Debris is seen on Sanibel Island, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Photograph: Steve Helber/AP
The Carolinas will continue to face a dangerous and “life-threatening” coastal storm surge this evening, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm force winds are also expected, which authorities have warned could lead to downed power lines and trees.
A man carries his pet dog on a flooded street, as Ian bears down on Charleston, South Carolina. Photograph: Jonathan Drake/Reuters
A worker clears a tree from Meeting Street after it was brought down during Hurricane Ian in Charleston. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
In a photo provided by the Myrtle Beach fire department, crews respond to rescue people who were trapped on the second floor due to flooding caused by Hurricane Ian. Photograph: Associated Press
In central Florida, major river flooding is expected to continue through next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Ian has destroyed at least four piers along South Carolina’s northern coast, the Associated Press reports. Myrtle Beach endured the brunt of the surge. Pawleys Island, which lost its pier, has faced catastrophic flooding, according to local police.
Water is beginning to recede a bit but still extremely high. There is a great amount of debris blocking the roadway. This will be an extended clean up and causeways will be closed until all hazards are mitigated. pic.twitter.com/L2gB2v3mVd
So far today, our SCDOT crews have responded to over 500 calls for downed trees. This SCDOT crew from Laurens County is working in the Charleston area to clear trees from the roadway.
Henry McMaster, the state’s governor, said the storm has so far not been as bad as expected in South Carolina, but advised residents to remain alert.
“A lot of prayers have been answered – this storm is not as bad as it could have been, but don’t let your guard down yet,” said McMaster. “We are not out of the woods, there is water on the roads, still heavy winds, and it is still dangerous in many parts of the state.”
Authorities in North Carolina have warned residents to be vigilant as Ian is expected to bring strong winds and up to 8in of rain in some areas.
“Ian is at our door. Expect drenching rain and sustained heavy winds over most of our state,” said the state’s governor, Roy Cooper. “Our message today is simple: be smart and be safe.”
There are more than 140,000 reports of power outages across the state, according to North Carolina Emergency Management, as well as flooded roads.
Don't just take our word for it. Check out this picture from @NewHanoverEM of a flooded roadway. Just one example of what you should be looking out for if you must travel today. Stay safe and steer away from flooded roadways. #TurnAroundDontDrownhttps://t.co/qH7vl6kaQw
The National Hurricane Center has said Ian, which is making landfall over South Carolina, is now a post-tropical cyclone. While the storm has been downgraded, authorities warn the threat of dangerous storm surge, flash flooding and high winds continues.
Post-Tropical Cyclone #Ian Advisory 33: Ian Becomes Post-Tropical But the Dangerous Storm Surge, Flash Flooding and High Wind Threat Continues. https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB
Rescues continue in Florida as the state grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which has killed at least 21 people.
WTSP, a local Tampa station, shared footage of residents rescuing a man trapped underneath rubble in Fort Myers. “We got you,” they told the man as they pulled him from a large pile of debris.
Firefighters from Miami-Dade county crossed the state to assist the search for survivors, and said Friday they had rescued 42 people from barrier islands in the south-west of Florida.
The department’s urban search and rescue units, which led efforts to find trapped residents of the Surfside condominium collapse near Miami in June last year, posted photographs and a video to Twitter highlighting their efforts over the first two days of the recovery operation.
Day 1 into the operations and #MDFR FL-TF1 team members have extracted 42 trapped residents on the barrier islands. Fortunately, no serious injuries to report. Today (Day 2), we are back at the barrier islands to complete search and rescue operations to the remaining homes. #Ianhttps://t.co/8ht7SAeTrZpic.twitter.com/Dl8DxdU6Sl
This is Richard Luscombe signing off from our hurricane blog. My colleague Dani Aguiano on the US west coast will guide you through the next few hours.
Here’s what we’ve been following:
Hurricane Ian made its second US landfall at Georgetown, South Carolina, shortly after 2pm. It is still a category 1 hurricane with winds of 85mph, but will weaken quickly as it moves inland.
The storm appears to have spared the historic South Carolina city of Charleston the worst of its fury, having made landfall about 60 miles further north than once forecast. But the city’s mayor says flooding is still expected, and more than 200,000 customers in the state are without electricity.
In Florida, Hurricane Ian’s death toll rose to at least 21, authorities said, and is expected to grow further. Two elderly residents in Sarasota county died when their oxygen supplies became disconnected in the storm, officials reported.
Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis said more than 3,000 wrecked or flooded homes in the worst hit south-west of the state had been visited by search and rescue crews, and hundreds of residents brought to safety. Dramatic footage has emerged of some of the aerial rescues.
More than 1.9m customers across Florida were still without electricity, DeSantis said, with some areas not expected to be reconnected for weeks while power grids are rebuilt.
Joe Biden said America’s heart “is literally breaking” at the apocalyptic scenes from Florida, and signed a major disaster declaration for four more counties, bringing the total to 13. The move frees federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts, and for individual disaster relief.
Biden said the hurricane was “likely to rank among worst in the nation’s history”.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was in the path of Hurricane Ian, which has just swept ashore about 35 miles further south along the coast in Georgetown, but that didn’t stop sightseers taking walks along the boardwalk to check out the ferocious winds and crashing waves.
A waterfront webcam is showing live pictures from the beach, with pedestrians who probably shouldn’t be there dodging flying palm fronds and other debris, as the occasional emergency vehicle drives past.
City authorities are urging residents to stay indoors while the storm passes over. Numerous trees and power lines are down, and a large boat was seen foundering just offshore. It is unclear if anybody is aboard.
Footage has been released of a dramatic air rescue on Sanibel island, Florida, on Thursday, in which at least two people and three cats are seen being lifted to safety by helicopter.
Coast guard helicopters have been engaging in rescue missions almost non-stop since before daylight Thursday, after the worst of Hurricane Ian’s category 4 winds and torrential rain finally moved away from the south-west Florida coastal communities it wrecked.
Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis said on Friday that more then 3,000 homes had received visits from search and rescue crews, with hundreds of people brought to safety.
Personnel from the coast guard, teams of firefighters from around the state and country, and volunteers from the citizen Cajun Navy are among those who have been conducting rescue missions by helicopter, boat and high water vehicle.
People and pets airlifted from Hurricane Ian floodwater in Florida – video
