In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck The United States. 17 years later, the second deadliest storm to ever strike the continental United States appears, Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane Ian first appeared in the central Caribbean Sea on September 23, 2022. At first Ian was just classified as a tropical storm like most newly formed hurricanes, but Hurricane Ian grew all the way to a category 3 hurricane. As a category 3 hurricane, it briefly hit Cuba, taking out the whole island’s power.
Ian wasn’t finished yet. It grew to a category 4 hurricane and made landfall in Florida on September 28, 2022. Ian wreaked havoc in Florida. At this time, Hurricane Ian had reached wind speeds of 155 mph, 2 miles short of a category 5 hurricane. Days later, it made its final landfall as a category 1 storm in South Carolina.
The damage was expensive. Hurricane Ian caused between 53 billion to 74 billion US dollars in damage. Ian was such a historic event that it will reshape the Florida insurance market. Many Floridians can’t afford to repair the damages caused by the storm. The loss of life was also terrible. At least 101 confirmed dead. Most were from Florida while some were from Cuba.
Weeks later, Florida and Cuba are still trying to rebuild. Many homes were destroyed leaving people displaced. Even now victims of Hurricane Ian are being affected. The disastrous effects of Ian highlighted the resiliency of the people affected.
17 years after Hurricane Katrina, images are being called back to that deadly natural disaster, yet people hold strong and rebuild.