After Hurricane Ian's deadly wrath, Florida, Carolinas begin recovery

Stranded shrimp boats are seen in a marina after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello

FORT MYERS, Fla./CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) -Florida and the Carolinas, staggered by one of the fiercest storms in U.S. history, faced a massive recovery on Saturday as remnants of Hurricane Ian threatened further flooding along the Eastern Seaboard while leaving tens of billions of dollars in damage in its wake.

The number of confirmed fatalities from Ian rose to at least 50, most in Lee County, Florida, which bore the brunt of the storm when it slammed ashore on the state's Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (240 km) per hour.