On September 27, 2022, Hurricane Ian strengthened to a category 4 storm as it made its way around the world, hitting Cuba first and leaving the entire island with no power. Hurricane Ian dealt significant damage in Florida, Cuba, Columbia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. It was a long, terrifying, and dreadful 5 days for the residents of the storm’s course. Ian’s effects are still lingering today even as we get closer to November. 

Hurricane Ian killed at least 114 Florida residents, more than any hurricane has in Florida in almost 90 years. Even people in North Carolina and Virginia became victims of the deadly waters the storm cultivated. Five people in North Carolina and one in Virginia were unfortunately killed. The storm has not only killed many people, but it is also currently having a noticeable impact on near-term GDP growth in Florida. Ian’s damage to Florida agriculture is also significantly high at the cost of $1.8 billion. The state lost billions of dollars worth of crops and agriculture infrastructure. This is especially devastating because Florida’s two most famous industries creating the most revenue for the state are tourism and agriculture. Hurricane Ian has clearly put quite the damper on both factors as the parts of Florida affected will need plenty of time to recover and build back what was damaged. 

The tropical storm caused significant housing damage in several countries that already suffer from a deficit of houses. Islands such as Cuba had over 63,000 houses damaged. As it moved across Cuba, it also produced heavy winds and rainfalls in plenty of other islands such as Jamaica. This had significant effects on many coastal communities leaving numerous islands without electricity, road and bridge damage, and agriculture. So many people lost everything they had. In the United States of America, President Biden issued a pre-landfall Emergency Declaration for Florida in order to ensure safety resources and federal responders for those in need. Although the damage done to many locations might take a while to recover, we hope that everyone mourning a loss, recuperating after damage to homes, and picking back up piece by piece, are able to do so safely. We also are hopeful that the governors, ministers, presidents, etc, of other islands and countries are successful during the hurricane relief period. Although there is still a lot more left to do to reinstate the normalities of the affected areas, unity is what will bring back each location that was struck by Hurricane Ian. If you’d like to make a change, and contribute to quickening the relief process, here are some options to get involved. Feel free to donate to Save The Children, visit Red Cross, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, text the word IAN to 90999, and to UNICEF USA. Every donation makes a difference.