29 September 2022.
Introduction:
Hurricane Ian has hit the US state of Florida.
Highlights:
- Category 4 storm Ian hit Florida’s southwestern coast.
- As one of the most powerful storms in the US history, it has torn apart homes and buildings, leaving some residents stranded.
- It made landfall near Cayo Costa with the maximum sustained wind speed of 150 mph, only 7 mph slower than a Category 5 – the highest status of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale of Hurricane Intensity.
- Much of the coastal regions in southwest Florida faced power outages because of this devastating storm, which caused high-speed winds and flooding.
- It is expected to adversely affect millions of people in the US states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
- Earlier, this storm has caused complete power outage in Cuba, after hitting the country as Category 3 storm.
- At least two people have lost their lives because of this storm in Cuba.
About Category 5 Hurricanes
Category 5 hurricanes have a maximum sustained winds of 157 miles per hour or more. Their occurrence is rare in the United States. They have occurred only four times in the country’s history, all of which hit the Gulf Coast. One of these storms hit Mississippi and the rest have made landfall in Florida. These storms are capable of destroying a large percentage of framed homes, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will cause isolation of residential areas. The power outages will last for weeks, if not months. Most of the affected regions will become uninhabitable for weeks or months. Currently, climate change is rapidly intensifying the storms. While climate change may intensify the storms, wind speed and precipitation, the total number of storms will not be increased.