Hurricane Ian: Joe Biden warns of 'substantial loss of life' in Florida

United States President Joe Biden said on Thursday (September 29) that early reports suggest that there has been a substantial loss of life from Hurricane Ian.

Biden also said that the hurricane, which made landfall in Florida yesterday, may end up being Florida's "deadliest" storm ever.

The US president has also promised that the federal government would do everything it could to get Florida residents what they need after the storm.

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During a briefing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at its headquarters in Washington, Biden said, "This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history. The numbers... are still unclear, but we're hearing reports of what may be a substantial loss of life."

He said that he is planning to visit the affected areas in Florida once conditions permit as Hurricane Ian has devastated parts of the southeastern US state.

"When the conditions allow it, I'm going to be going to Florida," he said and also told reporters it was his "intention" to visit the US Caribbean island territory of Puerto Rico, which is reeling from the earlier Hurricane Fiona.

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Biden also hailed the members of emergency services in Florida. He talked aboutthe challenges faced by them in the huge-scale search and rescue programmes. The emergency services have entered zones devastated by Ian's punishing wind and flooding.

"Search and rescue operations got underway before dawn this morning for people stranded and who are in desperate shape," he said.

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Among the "many" resources in action, the US Coast Guard has deployed 16 helicopters, six airplanes and 18 boats, he said. "These are dangerous missions."

While mentioning the residents of Florida, Biden said "many are hurting today and our entire country hurts with them."

He added, "We're continuing to see deadly rainfall, catastrophic storm surges, roads and homes flooded. We're seeing millions of people without power and thousands hunkered down in schools and community centres."

(With inputs from agencies)

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