Hurricanes

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Hurricane Season 2022

Interesting article from the Daytona News-Journal

200-mph wind simulation?

'Cat 6' hurricane tool under design at FIU

Rick Neale

Florida Today USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA

The Category 6 hurricane's howling winds accelerate to a startling 200 mph in Miami, mercilessly pummeling a twostory wood-frame house until the roof tears off and the rattling windows explode.

And a towering 20-foot storm surge spawns battering waves, swamping the structure and shoving it off its foundation like a doomed dollhouse.

Sounds like a scene from a sci-fi disaster movie.

See HURRICANE, Page 7A

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But with real-world Atlantic hurricanes pushing the limits of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Florida International University researchers envision a future mega-windwater simulator that tests how building components would react under Cat 6 conditions.

FIU's Extreme Events Institute already operates the 157-mph Wall of Wind hurricane simulator, where experimental results have been applied to the Florida Building Code. Now, the school is spearheading a $12.8 million National Science Foundation partnership to design a larger national testing facility capable of generating 200 mph winds.

In destructive tandem, this Cat 6 project will incorporate a water basin that can churn up to 20 feet of storm surge.

“We used the 200 mph mark because there are more and more events lately that they call stronger-than-Cat 5,” said Ioannis Zisis, co-director of FIU's Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research.

“This is a very ambitious project in terms of combining different hazards. So we want to do the wind, but we want to add also the storm surge, the water component,” Zisis said.

“So it's a very complex project, a very complex facility — that is going to be also very expensive,” he said.

FIU's academic partners on the project: University of Florida, Oregon State University, Stanford University, University of Notre Dame, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Colorado State University and Wayne State University. Aerolab, a Maryland wind-tunnel company, is the principal industry partner.

Design work began in January on the future simulator, which is technically named NICHE (National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events).

Zisis said researchers will spend the next four years designing the enormous facility — and it is “critical” that they make a series of key decisions within the first six months. Further details on construction, such as funding sources, remain unknown.

Should we create a Category 6?

Richard Olson is director of FIU's Extreme Events Institute. In a 2019 FLORIDA TODAY guest column, he lobbied for creation of a new Category 6 hurricane — with fearsome sustained wind speeds of 180 mph or higher — atop the five-level Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Olson pointed out historical storms such as the 1935 Florida Keys “Great Labor Day Hurricane” (sustained winds of 185 mph), Hurricane Allen in 1980 (190 mph), Hurricane Wilma in 2005 (185 mph), Hurricane Irma in 2017 (180 mph) and Hurricane Dorian in 2018 (185 mph).

“Opening a discussion of at least a Category 6 for Atlantic Basin storms has some urgency. Climate-change scientists are arguing for increasing numbers of more intense storms in coming decades,” Olson said in his 2019 column.

“That is, storms with sustained wind speeds of 180 mph should no longer be viewed as extremely rare,” Olson said.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell touted the FIU project during an April 13 National Hurricane Center keynote speech in Orlando.

“What if we could simulate a Category 6 hurricane?” Criswell asked the audience.

“This kind of cutting-edge research, this kind of testing capability, is just what we need to meet the nation's evolving risks. To help us adapt to future conditions. And to help us protect life and property,” she said.

Criswell said FEMA projects U.S. communities that adopt modern building codes will avoid paying $132 billion in storm damages by the year 2040 — but 65% of counties, cities, and towns have not adopted modern building codes.

FIU's 157-mph Wall of Wind

FIU's Wall of Wind is a warehouselike facility that can create Category 5 hurricane conditions with winds up to 157 mph. Researchers blast sensorequipped test structures — such as small simulated houses, roofing materials, windows, traffic signals, and solar panels — and create three-dimensional computer models measuring wind forces.

The 8,400-horsepower Wall of Wind is powered by a dozen yellow circular fans, each measuring 6 feet across and weighing 15,000 pounds.

Water outlets also mimic cascading rainfall amounts of up to 8 to 9 inches per hour.

Last year, the NSF awarded FIU a $5.62 million grant to continue Wall of Wind scientific research through September 2025. However, unlike the Wall of Wind, Zisis said the future Cat 6 hurricane simulator will be big enough to accommodate full-sized homes.

“We envision putting in front of the fans a two-story building, on a turntable,” Zisis said.

“Right now, we can test a smaller structure. We can test building components, solar panels, things like that. But the actual structure that we can accommodate in front of the Wall of Wind is like a 10-by-10-by-10 cube,” he said.

“The past 30, 40 years, most of the things that we have in the building code and the wind tunnels came from smallscale studies. And they're very, very useful. Very scientific, and they're very important. But when we test at fullscale, we learn even more,” he said.

“Right now, we're more into component testing in the Wall of Wind because we're restricted by the size. We can't see how the wind load is transferred from the exterior of the building down to the foundation. That is something that we envision doing with a new facility,” he said.

So how big would FIU's Cat 6 simulator have to be? Miami New Times reported it could be comparable in size to a small football stadium, while the Washington Post reported the wave basin may measure 200 feet long.

Nobody knows at this early stage, Zisis said. During the $12.8 million design effort, Zsis said researchers will construct a smaller-scale prototype simulator at FIU to verify and validate their assumptions.

“The small-scale replica of this huge facility is going to be like a similar size to the Wall of Wind, more or less,” he said.

FEMA: Expect extreme climate events

During her National Hurricane Conference speech, Criswell said the United Nations Climate Science Panel fears that unless global greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2025 and are cut 43% by 2030, the world will likely experience extreme climate events.

“Now, does this information cause us to sink back in our seats? Perhaps. But I encourage all of us in this room to embrace this information and not discount it as alarmist,” Criswell told the audience.

“We have the world's top climate scientists working hand-in-hand, nationto- nation, to arm us with the best information and the best data available to help us save lives and protect property. So we need to leverage this data and act,” she said.

“Let's use it to inspire a collective shift to a future-based mindset across all levels of government and all of our communities nationwide. Let's use it to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate risks that are 10, 20, 30 years in the future,” she said.

Jim Bell is director of operations with the National Storm Shelter Association. A former Fort Lauderdale resident, he was president of the Gold Coast Chapter of the Door and Hardware Institute when he served on a committee that helped strengthen the Florida Building Code after Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992.

“The part that's very intriguing is the storm surge. Because that's even more severe than the winds,” Bell said of FIU's future Cat 6 simulator.

“When we're talking the wind speeds that they're looking at, you're going to have to do more with windows and doors and such. Because once the wind gets inside the building, the building pressurizes — and it's popping the roof off or popping windows out,” Bell said.

“As the pressure builds up, it's looking for another place to push out. That's what creates the damage, the exploding effect,” he said.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

Structural-damage details of the Saffir- Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, per the National Hurricane Center: Category 1: 74 to 95 mph. “Well- constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days.”

Category 2: 96 to 110 mph. “Wellconstructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads. Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last from several days to weeks.”

Category 3: 111 to 129 mph. “Wellbuilt framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.”

Category 4: 130 to 156 mph. “Wellbuilt framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”

Category 5: 157 mph or higher. “A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”

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‘Above Average’ Hurricane Season Predicted for 2022

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center are predicting an “above-average” hurricane season for the Atlantic this year. According to NOAA’s estimates, there is a 65 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 25 percent chance of a near-normal season, and a 10 percent chance of a below-normal season. 

https://www.smartertravel.com/above-average-hurricane-season-predicted-for-2022/?

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CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT?

ARE HURRICANES GETTING WORSE?

Researchers say more people living on coast, rising sea levels multiply risks and costs

Dinah Voyles Pulver USA TODAY

As major hurricanes slam the nation year after year, claiming dozens of lives and costing billions in damages, the impact of climate change on these natural events comes up often in political speeches and casual conversations. h Could hurricanes get even worse as temperatures rise? wonders Florida resident Kimberly Lenehan Payano, who survived a harrowing last-minute rescue from Hurricane Ian's massive storm surge. h Scientists have worked for years to answer such questions. h “It's a topic with a lot of nuances,” said Tom Knutson, a senior climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's geophysical fluid dynamics laboratory.

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The simple answer for the moment: Evidence shows many Atlantic hurricanes are carrying more rainfall than in the past. It also shows a greater percentage of hurricanes are growing stronger faster.

More people living on the coast and sea levels that already have risen 7 to 8 inches multiply the risks and costs, researchers said.

But it's tougher to determine if human- induced greenhouse gas emissions and global warming have an effect on hurricane intensity and frequency.

Hurricane and climate scientists agree on some points but see mixed signals on others.

With time and more data, Knutson and others said a more clear picture will emerge.

While people can now watch tropical waves even before they emerge into the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa, it might be hard to remember scientists barely have 40 years worth of reliable satellite records and data.

So what do we know about hurricanes and climate change? Here's a

breakdown:

Are hurricanes producing more rain?

Many climate scientists agree higher rainfall rates are expected in hurricanes in the Atlantic basin with global warming.

The “biggest concerns we have with climate change are with sea level rise and increased rainfall,” Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University. “Water is the biggest driver of the damage.”

With a 2 degrees Celsius increase in sea-surface temperatures, research shows about a 14% increase in near-hurricane rainfall rates, or about a 7% increase in rainfall rates per Celsius degree of warming. Globally, the average surface temperature has already increased by at least 1 degree Celsius since the late 1800s.

“When we look at model simulations of hurricanes in a warmer climate, the thing that really sticks out is an increase in precipitation rates in storms,” Knutson said.

Scientists don't all agree the effect is discernible by looking at individual storms or that a detectable trend in hurricane rainfall data can be attributed to greenhouse gases.

Kevin Reed, an associate professor in atmospheric science at Stony Brook University, said rainfall is “one of the clearest indicators” of how climate change is impacting hurricanes.

He and a group of collaborators have studied extreme rainfall rates in recent hurricane seasons, including a look at the 2020 season. The most extreme three-hour rain rates in hurricanes show a 10% increase that can be attributed to climate change, he said.

Reed and colleagues applied that same model to Hurricane Ian and concluded in an era without human-induced climate change, it would have produced 10% less rainfall.

Researchers also found rainfall intensities in landfalling tropical cyclones increase in future climate projections, said Alyssa Stansfield, who completed her doctorate at Stony Brook.

What else causes greater hurricane rainfall?

Hurricanes and tropical storms have slowed in forward motion over the continental U.S. since 1900, lingering longer over land, according to an analysis by Jim Kossin, a former NOAA scientist now with The Climate Service.

Scientists don't yet fully understand what causes this change, Knutson said.

Hurricane Harvey lingered over Texas in 2017, dropping up to 50 inches of rain and causing massive flooding in the Houston metro area.

Ian's forward speed slowed to only 8 mph over Florida at one point, drenching Central Florida from coast to coast, dropping 24 inches of rain at Placida near where it made landfall, and 21 inches on the east coast in New Smyrna Beach. Only Harvey affected a larger area over a single day.

The question of whether greenhouse warming has any impact on the frequency of such stalling or slowing systems is still unsettled, Knutson said, and determining whether the two are linked “will take more work.”

Is climate change making hurricanes stronger, with higher wind speeds?

Over 160 years of hurricane history, 12 hurricanes struck the U.S. mainland with winds of 150 mph or more. Five of those were in the last 18 years, with one each in the last three years: Laura, Ida and Ian.

Warmer water at the ocean's surface from human-induced climate change is likely helping to fuel more powerful tropical cyclones, Knutson concluded with colleagues in a review of tropical cyclone and climate change science published last year. The percentage of tropical cyclones, ranked by Categories 1-5, that becomes a Category 3 or higher has increased globally over the past four decades, Knutson said. The percentage that becomes Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, with wind speeds of at least 130 mph or greater, “will likely increase with further greenhouse warming.”

Klotzbach looked at Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic since 1990, and found an increase but doesn't consider the trend statistically significant because year-to-year variability makes such significance hard to detect.

Part of the reason for that is so few hurricanes occur in any given year, said Stansfield, now at Colorado State University.

“We just don't have enough data to statistically say there's been more Category 4s and 5s over the past 40 years, she said. “We do expect the proportion of Category 4s and 5s will increase as the climate warms.”

Is human-caused climate change behind stronger storms?

The intensity and frequency of hurricanes, including major hurricanes, has increased in the Atlantic since the 1980s but it's not just attributed to greenhouse warming, “because if you look back further, things were also higher in the 1950s and 1960s,” Knutson said. “It's tricky in the Atlantic over short periods to conclude much about the changes we're seeing.”

Just as detecting a trend in wind speeds can be challenging, Knutson said, “it gets pretty dicey when you're trying to infer something about greenhouse gas-induced trends in Atlantic hurricane activity.”

Studies have suggested stronger Atlantic hurricanes since 1980 could be the result of changes in aerosol effects, ocean circulation, or the increase in greenhouse gases.

Are hurricanes rapidly intensifying more often?

Yes, in the Atlantic Basin.

A storm is classified as a “rapid intensifier” when its wind speeds increase by 35 mph or more in any 24-hour period. Those sudden spikes especially occur in the most intense hurricanes.

National Hurricane Center advisories showed such a burst in Ian's winds twice, between Sept. 25-26 and again on Sept. 28, when its winds increased from 120mph to 155mph between 4 a.m. and 6:35 a.m. as it closed in on the Florida coast.

Kerry Emanuel, a meteorologist and climate scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggested five years ago that rapid intensification would occur more often in a warmer climate. Even though that trend might be apparent already, Emanuel said in early 2022 that it will take years of data to be sure.

Some of the increase since 1990 is tied to climate change-related warming, Klotzbach said, but it's unknown how much.

Are tropical cyclones becoming more frequent?

Worldwide, no. In the Atlantic, yes, although researchers aren't sure why and climate models don't project that to continue.

The 2021 hurricane season was the sixth in a row with above-normal hurricane activity, even after the 30-year normal was adjusted upward to 14 named storms rather than 12.

However, many things influence Atlantic hurricanes. The greater number since the 1970s is partially driven by decreases in aerosols, thanks to human efforts to clean up air pollution, said Emanuel and others. Cleaner air allowed ocean surface temperatures to heat up.

Klotzbach said natural variability, changes in Saharan dust layers and increases in La Niña activity all may contribute.

Will climate change bring more frequent Atlantic hurricanes?

This question is more difficult to answer than others, Stansfield said.

“We just don't understand what controls how many hurricanes per year in general because we don't understand what causes them,” she said. “We don't think there will be more.”

That's based in part on work she and Reed completed with one climate model that projected fewer tropical cyclones and fewer landfalling storms in the future.

Recent studies do not imply the increase in tropical storm frequency in the Atlantic since 1980 will continue, states an agency website Knutson maintains.

Most models project future decreases in Atlantic storm frequency in response to rising greenhouse gas concentrations, he said. A World Meteorological Organization team of scientists reviewed dozens of tropical cyclones studies around the world and found most projected the global frequency will either decrease or remain unchanged.

Proving climate change 'tough bar'

Researchers studying hurricanes and global warming are working to demonstrate whether trends they see in the data could have happened by chance or without climate change, said Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist and professor at Columbia University. “That's a tough bar, especially with hurricanes, because there's not that many of them.”

“There's quite a few (studies) that conclude with pretty good evidence that you can see the intensity increasing. These other things we're pretty sure they are happening because there's a line of evidence, but it's not entirely clear,” Sobel said. “People debate whether it's a climate signal or not.”

While scientists work toward consensus, the nation should not delay action, he said. “If you wait until you conclusively prove it couldn't have happened by chance, things might have gotten a lot worse.”

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Hurricaine Fiona

Fiona swipes Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico faces big cleanup

CAYEY, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona blasted the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm after devastating Puerto Rico, where most people remained without electricity or running water and rescuers used heavy equipment to lift survivors to safety.

https://apnews.com/article/storms-entertainment-hurricanes-royalty-dominican-republic-73e1cfe498d50a4e85fb8de51723ee46

 

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Hurricane Fiona marches through the Caribbean

LOIZA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Nelson Cirino was sleeping when the roof was blown off his home by Hurricane Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico. “I had to run downstairs,” he said.

https://apnews.com/article/storms-caribbean-hurricanes-dominican-republic-puerto-rico-cb8532836af83ef540a9d76d5ce065da

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Puerto Ricans desperate for water after Fiona’s rampage

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — More than a half million people in Puerto Rico remained without water service three days after Hurricane Fiona slammed into the U.S. territory, and many spent hours in lines Wednesday to fill jugs from water trucks while others scooped water from mountain runoff.

https://apnews.com/article/floods-storms-hurricanes-bermuda-puerto-rico-e4066589502b4b2a0a441308216c7ed4

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Biden vows US won’t walk away from storm-struck Puerto Rico

SAN SALVADOR, Puerto Rico (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday the full force of the federal government is ready to help Puerto Rico recover from the devastation of Hurricane Fiona, while Bermuda and Canada’s Atlantic provinces prepared for a major blast from the Category 4 storm.

https://apnews.com/article/floods-storms-hurricanes-bermuda-puerto-rico-a9d3d02464f300024e3b77a40cc8e05d

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Post-Fiona fuel disruptions spark fear in Puerto Rico

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — A growing number of businesses, including grocery stores and gas stations, are temporarily closing across Puerto Rico as power outages caused by Hurricane Fiona drag on in the U.S. territory, sparking concern about the availability of fuel and basic goods.

https://apnews.com/article/storms-caribbean-power-outages-puerto-rico-9f8fe16688702f4c127bfa3ab7148901

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Fiona bears down on northeast Canada as big, powerful storm

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona transformed into a post-tropical cyclone late Friday, but meteorologists warned it could still bring hurricane-strength wind, heavy rain and big waves to the Atlantic Canada region and had the potential to be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history.

https://apnews.com/article/storms-seniors-hurricanes-bermuda-canada-825e13d23a76e8ee85034f71aea5cf82

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Puerto Ricans seething over lack of power days after Fiona

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Half of Puerto Rico is without power more than five days after Hurricane Fiona struck — including an entire town where not a single work crew has arrived.

https://apnews.com/article/storms-hurricanes-puerto-rico-san-juan-04096675bdafe6629b6507b01d8b99d4

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Puerto Ricans await aid, fret about post-hurricane recovery

TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico (AP) — City worker Carmen Medina walked purposefully through the working-class community of Tranquility Village under a brutal sun, with clipboard, survey forms and pen in hand — part of a small army of officials trying to gauge the scope of disaster caused by Hurricane Fiona’s strike on Puerto Rico.

https://apnews.com/article/floods-storms-hurricanes-caribbean-574e9eefb195f3224cc0da9818e19a1b

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Canada struggles to restore power after storm; body found

TORONTO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada remained without power Sunday and officials said they found the body of a woman swept into the sea after former Hurricane Fiona washed away houses, stripped off roofs and blocked roads across the country’s Atlantic provinces.

https://apnews.com/article/storms-caribbean-prince-edward-nova-scotia-tropical-cyclones-955ef586969648801fed1150d3593595

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Canadian navy vessel headed to areas hit hardest by Fiona

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s defense minister said Monday that 100 soldiers have been deployed to each of three Atlantic provinces hit by former Hurricane Fiona and a navy vessel will visit the most devastated area of Newfoundland, where 76 homes were destroyed or structurally damaged.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-navy-prince-edward-canada-d56c5d280a3c8a741964909912f0a23d

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Puerto Rico seeks U.S. waiver as diesel dwindles after storm

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor on Tuesday requested that the U.S. government waive a federal law to allow for more fuel shipments to the island amid concerns over a dwindling supply of diesel in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-biden-storms-puerto-rico-pedro-pierluisi-2a7bac15a1838d264c8e6de9eefd9c25

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US waives federal law to boost diesel supply for Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government announced Wednesday it would temporarily waive a federal law and allow foreign diesel deliveries to Puerto Rico as it faces a dwindling supply of fuel nearly two weeks after Hurricane Fiona pummeled the U.S. territory.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-caribbean-puerto-rico-hurricane-fiona-93c537d7b51040ab2a277deb4359031d

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Officials detail Hurricane Fiona damage to Puerto Rico grid

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Preliminary evaluations show Hurricane Fiona damaged 50% of transmission lines and distribution feeders across Puerto Rico as hundreds of thousands remain without power or water service almost two weeks after the storm hit, officials said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-caribbean-storms-power-outages-puerto-rico-5d54ac54f0cc1b69c3c2294a4638d9db

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We’re with you,’ Biden tells Puerto Rico ahead of visit

PONCE, Puerto Rico (AP) — President Joe Biden arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday to survey damage from Hurricane Fiona, as tens of thousands of people remain without power two weeks after the storm hit.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-biden-government-and-politics-caribbean-17d745e30b022fdf5b41c93ab55fa751

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Hurricane Orlene hits Mexico’s Pacific coast near Mazatlan

MAZATLAN, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Orlene made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast near the tourist town of Mazatlan on Monday before quickly weakening over western Mexico.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-mexico-caribbean-storms-climate-and-environment-4f037a1d8e3801734e036e25ed35c09f

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19 dead as Julia drenches Central America with rainfall

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former Hurricane Julia has dissipated, but is still drenching Guatemala and El Salvador with torrential rains Monday after it reemerged in the Pacific following a pounding of Nicaragua.

https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-storms-central-america-guatemala-nicaragua-a0f8ae23c01b58e3c20f38b2221e930d

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28 dead as Julia drenches Central America with rainfall

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former Hurricane Julia has dissipated, but is still drenching Guatemala and El Salvador with torrential rains Monday after it reemerged in the Pacific following a pounding of Nicaragua.

https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-storms-central-america-guatemala-nicaragua-a0f8ae23c01b58e3c20f38b2221e930d?

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Ian leaves dozens dead as focus turns to rescue, recovery

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of Florida residents left their flooded and splintered homes by boat and by air on Saturday as rescuers continued to search for survivors in the wake of Hurricane Ian, while authorities in South Carolina and North Carolina began taking stock of their losses.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-florida-north-carolina-caribbean-f537bc6e6d9481c4680a4a7af238bc6c?

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LIVE: Tropical Rainstorm Ian soaking mid-Atlantic, Northeast

The storm was a shell of its former Category 4 self, but it still was making a mess of things across parts of the eastern U.S. Saturday morning.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/live-news/live-tropical-rainstorm-ian-soaking-mid-atlantic-northeast/1255504

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Feds vow major aid for Hurricane Ian victims amid rescues

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — With the death toll from Hurricane Ian rising and hundreds of thousands of people without power in Florida and the Carolinas, U.S. officials vowed Sunday to unleash a massive amount of federal disaster aid as crews scrambled to rescue people stranded by the storm.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-elon-musk-spacex-storms-fort-myers-fe66fb47168267228e9fa4dc5db50f52?

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Pine Island residents recount horror, fear as Ian bore down

PINE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Paramedics and volunteers with a group that rescues people after natural disasters went door to door Saturday on Florida’s devastated Pine Island, offering to evacuate residents who spoke of the terror of riding out Hurricane Ian in flooded homes and howling winds.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-florida-natural-disasters-climate-and-environment-ed3995f063153573d0d16cf82efcc466?

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Frustrations mount as Hurricane Ian’s effects linger

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Days after the skies cleared and the winds died down in Florida, Hurricane Ian’s effects persisted Monday, as people faced another week without power and others were being rescued from homes inundated with lingering floodwaters.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-weather-fort-myers-climate-and-environment-e7ad896b1814a9017fe8f681b0408c40