FLORIDA (Washington Insider Magazine)- After making landfall in Florida, Hurricane Ian flooded key cities and destroyed houses, but the devastation wasn’t yet done.
Ahead of making landfall in South Carolina on Friday, Hurricane Ian strengthened to Category 1 status on Thursday night after briefly transforming into a tropical storm, according to ABC NEWS.
In all, the hurricane may have caused up to $65 billion in economic damage, according to a forecast made public on Thursday by data company Enki Research, which analyzes the financial effects of disasters.
According to Enki Research, the best-case scenario for hurricane damage was pegged at $55 billion.
Less than half of Hurricane Katrina’s $161 billion in damage would be produced by Hurricane Ian, according to anticipated calculations.
The historic storm destroyed buildings and houses, wrecked roads and bridges, and also seems to have impacted citrus fruit trees, which are important to the state’s economy.
70% of the citrus fruits grown in the United States, including oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits, are produced in Florida.
As the hurricane neared earlier this week, tourist attractions including Universal Orlando and Disney World Orlando briefly shut down. The parks declared on Friday that they will reopen gradually.
A significant disaster declaration for Florida was authorized by President Joe Biden on Thursday, allowing the state to receive more federal funding.
Speaking on Thursday, Biden promised help for regional and state leaders as they evaluated the storm’s damage, stating that the federal government would pay for all costs associated with removing debris and reconstructing public structures such as schools and state fire stations.
Additionally, the government will offer assistance to those whose houses have been damaged or destroyed.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has received more than 8,700 applications for assistance.
When the then-Category 4 storm made landfall on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday, wind gusts reached 150 mph.
Before moving east over the peninsula into Orlando, the hurricane hit the coastal city of Fort Myers and adjacent Sarasota and Tampa Baby.
Although Hurricane Ian did significant damage, the U.S. gas and oil industry was spared a significant interruption that would have occurred if the storm had moved toward Louisiana and Texas, according to industry analysts who spoke to ABC News earlier.
According to Andy Lipow, a longtime oil expert and owner of Lipow Oil Associates, the state produces roughly 6,000 barrels of oil per day and lacks any oil refineries.
According to data released this month by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, such output represents a very small portion of the nation’s total oil output, which stands at 11.8 million barrels per day.
