Death toll from storms in the US and Mexico rises

On September 28, US authorities said that Hurricane Helene made landfall in the country, killing at least 64 people and leaving millions without power.

Wind and heavy rain as a storm makes landfall in Cancun, Mexico on September 25, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/TTXVN

According to local authorities, at least 22 people were killed in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, two in North Carolina and one in Virginia.

Emergency crews are currently searching for survivors in areas hit hard by the storm in several eastern states. However, search and rescue efforts are being hampered by the fact that many bridges have been washed away by floodwaters, cutting off transportation.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on the night of September 26 as a Category 4 storm and moved north. Although it weakened to a tropical storm, Helene left behind very serious consequences for people and property.

The National Weather Service has warned of the risk of prolonged power outages after the storm passes. According to the monitoring site poweroutage.us, as of the afternoon of September 28 local time, nearly 3 million customers in 10 states, from Florida in the Southeast to Indiana and Ohio in the Midwest, were still without power.

In a statement on September 28, US President Joe Biden used the word "terrible" to describe the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, and said that the government had mobilized additional response forces and sent members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Florida to help assess the damage.

FEMA has deployed more than 800 personnel to storm-affected states.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Mexico, people in the southwest region of the country evacuated their flooded homes as Hurricane John battered the Pacific coast, causing floods and landslides that killed at least 22 people.

Guerrero state was hardest hit, with 18 people killed, mostly by landslides that collapsed homes. State Governor Evelyn Salgado said emergency crews were working to rescue people using boats, jet skis and helicopters. John also killed three people in Oaxaca state and one person in Michoacan.

Hurricane John intensified before making landfall in Guerrero state on September 23, then weakened, bringing heavy rains and flooding to coastal areas. Although floodwaters have begun to recede, heavy rains and thunderstorms are forecast to continue across Guerrero and parts of Oaxaca.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that authorities had set up temporary shelters and distributed relief food to people.

Last October, Hurricane Otis hit the city of Acapulco in Guerrero state as a Category 5 storm, killing more than 50 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.

According to VNA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/so-nguoi-thiet-mang-do-bao-o-my-va-mexico-gia-tang-post761283.html