Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina Friday as a Category 1 storm after leaving a path of catastrophic damage across southwestern and central Florida.
The National Hurricane Center said Ian, which regained hurricane status after a brief span as a tropical storm, made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
In Florida, the scope of devastation from the storm was starting to become clear, as rescue missions continued and power and water outages persisted. New images on Friday showed extensive wreckage and disastrous flooding.
State emergency officials announced 21 deaths as of Friday morning, however they’re not sure if all are directly related to the storm. Additionally, in Volusia County, the sheriff’s department has confirmed two storm-related deaths there. As crews continue to conduct searches, the death toll could rise as officials learn more about the losses from Ian.
Now, Ian is forecast to move inland across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina Friday night and Saturday. It should “rapidly weaken” after landfall, according to forecasters.
