Hurricane Ian swept through the Atlantic and southeast U.S. coast this week, leaving a path of catastrophic damage in Cuba, Florida and the Carolinas.
Ian has left dozens dead, torn apart homes, caused life-threatening flooding and triggered widespread blackouts.
On Friday, President Joe Biden said that Hurricane Ian is “likely to rank among the worst in the nation’s history,” and noted Florida will take “months – years – to rebuild.”
Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone, headed north into North Carolina Saturday, with heavy rain expected for the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic. By Saturday night, the storm is set to weaken and dissipate over south-central Virginia – but severe weather conditions could continue until then.
Live updates:About 1.7 million remain without power in Ian’s path; storm treks through North Carolina
Here are some photos of Ian’s destruction in Cuba, Florida and the Carolinas.
Cuba
Hurricane Ian battered western Cuba early Tuesday as a Category 3 storm – triggering a collapse of the entire country’s already-fragile power grid, life-threatening flooding and high winds that damaged houses and toppled trees. Three people died. The full extent of the storm’s destruction is still unknown.
Crews worked to restore power to much of the island in the day following the storm’s landfall. But there are still areas in the dark and/or without internet service, prompting hundreds to protest on Thursday and Friday.
‘Apocalyptic’ photos:Cuba plunged into darkness after Hurricane Ian triggers outage
Watch:Cubans assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ian amid flooding, power outages
Florida
On Wednesday, Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida, hitting the state’s southwestern coast as one of the move powerful storm’s in U.S. history. The Category 4 hurricane made landfall at 150 mph – just 7 mph below Category 5 status.
Ian slowed as it moved inland – but left immense destruction across the state. The storm caused flooding areas on both of Florida’s coasts, tearing homes from their slabs, demolishing beachfront businesses and leaving 2 million without power. At least 27 people died, according to the Associated Press, and the death count is expected to rise.
As of Saturday, 1.2 million Floridians remained without power. Officials are assessing the damage and continuing search and rescue efforts.
‘It’s a nightmare, but we’re alive’:After Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers residents mourn low-lying neighborhoods
How to help:Here’s how you can help those affected by Hurricane Ian in Florida
Carolinas, other East Coast states
Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm early Thursday but continued to wreak havoc and it moved north toward South Carolina, Georgia and more states on the East Coast.
The storm soon strengthened again. On Friday, Ian hammered the coast of South Carolina as it made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, and then moved into North Carolina as a post-tropical cyclone.
Friday:South Carolina braces for Hurricane Ian as it returns to land as a Category 1 storm
No deaths have been confirmed in these states yet, but the storm has caused flooding, destruction and power outages. As of Saturday, hundreds of thousands of customers were left without power across the Carolinas and into Virginia.
Contributing: Christine Fernando, John Bacon, Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY. The Associated Press.
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