US president Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Florida and pledged federal support after Hurricane Ian churned through the state, causing widespread damage and leaving millions of residents without power.
More than 2.6mn utility customers were estimated to have lost electricity as emergency crews began to assess destruction from the storm, which made landfall on Florida’s south-west coast on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 150mph, before crossing the peninsula and reaching the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
High-speed winds, destructive waves and a storm surge of up to 18ft left debris strewn across neighbourhoods, knocked down houses, trapped people inside buildings and forced businesses and airports to close.
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