Daunting recovery for Florida and the Carolinas

A broken section of Pine Island Road and destroyed houses in Florida Saturday. Pic/AFP

The largely innocuous but soggy remnants of Hurricane Ian drifted through Virginia early on Sunday, leaving in their wake storm-ravaged residents in Florida and the Carolinas facing a disaster recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

The storm's toll on human life also was expected to rise as floodwaters receded and search teams pushed farther into areas initially cut off from the outside world, seeking stranded survivors and remains of anyone who may have perished. At least 50 storm-related deaths have been confirmed since Ian crashed ashore Florida's Gulf Coast. Florida accounted for the bulk of fatalities, with 35 tallied by the sheriff's office in coastal Lee County, and 11 other deaths reported by state officials in four neighboring counties. North Carolina authorities said at least four more people had been killed there. No deaths were immediately reported in South Carolina.

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