(MENAFN) The death toll from Hurricane Ian, one of the most severe hurricanes ever to hit the United States, has risen to more than 40, with the White House announcing that President Joe Biden will go to Florida later this week to see the damage.
On Saturday, devastated Florida communities were only beginning to realize the full extent of the devastation, with rescuers still seeking for survivors in inundated neighborhoods and along the state's southwest coast.
When Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, it wiped up homes, restaurants, and businesses.
The verified number of storm-related deaths in Florida grew to 44 late Saturday, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, but reports of further fatalities were still coming in county by county, implying a far higher ultimate toll.
According to the sheriff of Lee County, 35 people died as a result of the storm, although US media outlets such as NBC and CBS reported more than 70 deaths as a result of the hurricane.
The governor's administration in the coastal state of North Carolina verified four deaths due to Ian.
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