The Effects of Hurricane Ian
One of the most destructive hurricanes in years is upon us. Hurricane Ian first made landfall in the US in Florida on Wednesday, September 28th as a Category 4 storm. At its peak, the hurricane was producing winds of 150 mph near Fort Myers, Florida.
The hurricane left many coastal areas destroyed, and at least 70 people died in Florida due to the effects of the hurricane.
After Hurricane Ian began in Cuba, its wrath caused Cuba to lose power at night on the 27th. On Saturday night, October 1st, protesters went to Havana to protest the power not being restored yet. At least three people have been reported dead in Cuba due to storm-related accidents.
Luckily, the hurricane had less of an effect on North Carolina. Since the hurricane had been forming and then fizzled out before coming up to North Carolina, it was less treacherous and ultimately just caused a lot of rain, as it did in Elon.
So, how will Hurricane Ian affect North Carolina and areas close to Elon? Due to storm-related accidents, there have been four deaths reported in North Carolina. Beach towns in both North Carolina and South Carolina, such as Wilmington, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, etc. were affected by the hurricane.
Hurricane Ian hit South Carolina in its second US landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Friday afternoon, and it weakened into a tropical storm shortly after.
According to The News & Observer, Duke Power reported around 850,000 power outages across North and South Carolina.
If you are looking for ways to help, there are plenty of resources to assist the places that were hit hard by Hurricane Ian.
Feeding Florida is an organization working to provide food to those in need. According to their website, “This past fiscal year, our food banks provided 404 million pounds of food to the 2.2 million Floridians facing hunger, including over 600,000 children.” You can donate to Feeding Florida to help those in need.
The American Red Cross is helping to provide shelter, food and a sense of comfort for those affected. The American Red Cross organization put up evacuation shelters throughout Florida during the hurricane to provide those in danger with a place to stay. On the website, you can donate to Hurricane Ian specifically, or just disaster relief in general.
Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization. Their website shares that they provide spiritual and physical aid to those hurting around the world. Samaritan’s Purse has two Disaster Relief Units in Florida to help with the aftermath of the hurricane. You can volunteer to help clean up towns, or you can donate to the organization.