Hurricane Ian veers toward Carolinas

A resurgent Hurricane Ian yesterday barrelled north toward a second landfall in South Carolina, a day after carving a path of destruction across central Florida that left rescue crews racing to reach trapped residents along the state's Gulf Coast.

Ian, which had weakened to a tropical storm during its march across Florida, was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it churned toward South Carolina above the Atlantic Ocean, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 85 mph, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The hurricane was forecast to hit near low-lying Charleston, South Carolina, about 2:00 pm ET yesterday, bringing potentially life-threatening flooding, storm surges and winds. Hundreds of miles of coastline, stretching from Georgia to North Carolina, were under a hurricane warning.

Police in the Isle of Palms yesterday posted a video showing dark skies above rough white-cap waves near the shoreline as gusty winds blew across the beach-front community on a barrier island in South Carolina.

The extent of damage in Florida, where Ian first came ashore on Wednesday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US mainland, became more apparent on Thursday as emergency crews began reaching stranded residents. The death toll remains uncertain.