Hurricane Ian death toll passes 100 as searches continue

Over 100 people have now died as a result of Hurricane Ian as officials continue to search for missing persons in the southeast U.S.

CNN reported that 102 people have been declared dead due to the tragedy as of Tuesday, while CBS News has confirmed that the number is at least 106.

The bulk of the confirmed deaths have been reported in Lee County, Fla., which had experienced 55 related deaths as of Tuesday.

Three people died in Cuba before the hurricane made its way to the U.S., and four people have been reported dead in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, almost 2,000 people in Florida have been rescued since Ian’s arrival in the state, and 500,000 people remain deprived of electrical power and some others still lacking access to clean tap water.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on Tuesday that it has approved more than $70 million for recovery efforts among Florida survivors of the hurricane.

“Teams are visiting shelters now to help survivors apply for assistance,” FEMA wrote in a statement, adding that disaster recovery centers will begin opening on Tuesday in the state.

While many die directly due to the ruthless winds and flooding that result from hurricanes, more people die from indirect causes, according to a recent analysis by The Hill.

Indirect hurricane deaths are “casualties that cannot be ascribed directly to the storm’s brutal assault but that would not have happened without it,” and happen more commonly than direct deaths by a margin of 371 to 324.

The analysis by The Hill examined deaths from the nine deadliest hurricanes in the past 12 years, not including Hurricane Ian, which will likely be among their number.