Biden claims Hurricane 'Ian' could be 'deadliest' in Florida state history

Six confirmed deaths in Charlotte County (Florida) from Hurricane 'Ian'

MADRID, 29 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has assured this Thursday that the category 4 hurricane 'Ian', now a tropical storm, could be the "deadliest" in the history of the state of Florida, which has already been declared a zone catastrophic.

"This could be the deadliest hurricane in the history of Florida," Biden said, adding that "early reports" point to a "substantial loss of life," according to the US network ABC.

The US president has said he will travel to Florida to survey hurricane damage once conditions on the ground improve. In the same way, he will visit Puerto Rico, which has also been hit by the storm in previous days.

'Ian' has made his way through Florida this Thursday, where he has left more than two million people without power and at least 23 people have had to be rescued. The hurricane, which has lowered its virulence and has become a tropical storm, is now heading to states such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

'Ian' has left different areas of the region without electricity and also without water supply to at least nine hospitals in Lee County (Florida), where the sheriff, Carmine Marceno, has expressed fears that the deaths will be counted "Per cent".

In fact, the tropical storm has left, in a preliminary and unconfirmed way, at least two dead, as explained by the governor of the state of Florida, Ron DeSantis. "We don't know if they are linked to the storm," he said, adding that it likely is, according to NBC News.

For his part, Chris Constance, the head of Charlotte County, Florida, has already confirmed at least six deaths in the area, and has said that the damage is still being assessed and rescues are continuing. "It's the biggest catastrophe I've ever seen in my life," he told CNN.