WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has started evacuating its nationals who were displaced by Hurricane Ian in the United States.

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar made a phone call with the Consul General in Houston, Shafi Al-Otaibi, on Friday to check on the progress of the evacuation process.

Princess Reema was briefed on the services and care provided. No cases of infectious diseases were recorded among citizens. She thanked the embassy and consulate teams for their efforts and urged everyone to harness all capabilities to provide comfort to citizens until the crisis is over.

One of the most dangerous storms to hit the US in years, Ian has left 2.4 million homes and businesses in Florida without power and floodwaters surging inland.

Hurricane Ian made landfall at around 15:10 local time (19:10 GMT) on Wednesday, smashing into the coast with wind speeds of up to 241km/h (150mph).— SG