Live: Hurricane Irma Weakens to Category 1 After Lashing Florida
The Red Cross said 1.2 million people had already been affected by Irma, a number that could rise to 26 million.
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- After lashing Florida, Hurricane Irma has weakened to a category 1 storm
- Irma has now moved 25 miles northeast of Tampa, Florida, US forecasters say
- Over six million people in Florida had to be evacuated ahead of the storm
- French President Emmanuel Macron will visit island of St Martin on Tuesday
- At least 28 people have reportedly been killed in the Caribbean islands due to the hurricane
- At least 36 people were killed across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina
- Hurricanes Katia and Jose are reportedly gaining momentum
At Least 36 Killed Across Three States
Irma killed at least 36 people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to officials. Some 4.2 million homes and businesses, or about 9 million people, were without power on Wednesday in Florida and nearby states.
Two elderly residents were found dead at the nursing home in Florida, and four later died at a hospital. Police opened a criminal investigation at the nursing home in Broward County, which is north of Miami.
Some residents were evacuated on early Sunday morning and some woke up feeling sick at the center, which had been without air conditioning, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief said.
Irma Moves North
Downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, Irma flooded several northern Florida cities with heavy rain and a high storm surge on Monday as it headed out of the state after cutting power to millions and ripping roofs off homes.
Now a tropical storm with sustained winds of up to 110 km per hour, the National Hurricane Center said.
France, Netherlands Evacuate Tourists from Caribbean
France and the Netherlands evacuated tourists from the Caribbean holiday islands hit by hurricane Irma in the face of criticism about how long it took for the operation to get underway.
Two military planes were due to land in Paris and Eindhoven in the southern Netherlands, with 278 and 100 people onboard respectively, authorities in both countries said.
10 Dead in Cuba
At least 10 people were killed in Cuba by Hurricane Irma, most of them crushed by collapsing buildings, authorities said on Monday, bringing the death toll from the ferocious storm to 38 in the Caribbean.
Seven of the dead were in the province of Havana, while fatalities also were reported in Matanzas, home to the tourist resort of Varadero, and the regions of Ciego de Avila and Camaguey farther east, according to a statement from civil defense authorities.
After Lashing Florida, Irma Weakens to Category 1 Storm
Hurricane Irma weakened to a Category 1 storm as it zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region early on Monday after hammering much of Florida with roof-ripping winds, gushing floodwaters and widespread power outages, reported AP.
The hurricane's maximum sustained winds weakened to 135 kph with additional weakening expected. As of 2:00 am, Eastern Daylight Time, (EDT), the storm was centered about 40 kilometers northeast of Tampa and moving north-northwest near 24 kph.
Irma continues its slog north along Florida's western coast having blazed a path of unknown destruction. With communication cut to some of the Florida Keys, where Irma made landfall on Sunday, and rough conditions persisting across the peninsula, many are holding their breath for what daylight might reveal.
This is Hurricane Irma’s eye just south of Naples, Florida:
Emmanuel Macron to Visit French Territories
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the territory of St Martin on Tuesday to inspect the damage caused by Irma. At least 28 people have died in the Caribbean storms, as per media reports.
Trump Approves 'Major Disaster' Declaration
Earlier, as Hurricane Irma weakened to a category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph/175 kph, US President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Florida and ordered federal aid to help the state struck by Hurricane Irma.
The declaration means residents and businesses can apply for grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs.
The federal government will also reimburse counties for emergency protective measures including evacuation and sheltering costs as well as for much of the costs of debris removal.
The Storm Is 'Some Big Monster', Says President Trump
US President Donald Trump called Hurricane Irma "some big monster" as it battered the Florida coast, saying he wants to go to the state very soon and praising emergency officials for their efforts to protect people.
"The bad news is that this is some big monster," Trump told reporters at the White House, saying damage from the storm would be very costly.
"Right now, we are worried about lives, not cost," Trump said after returning from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where he monitored the storm and met with his Cabinet.
Irma 15 kms Southeast of Naples in Florida
This is an aerial view of the flooding and damage in Bonita Springs, near the city of Naples, in Florida.
National Hurricane Centre says Irma is 15 km southeast of Naples, which is expected to take the brunt of the hurricane in Florida. It is still a category 3 storm.
Irma Hits Florida
Trump Speaks to Governors, Senators on Irma; Approves Disaster Areas
US President Donald Trump spoke to the governors of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee on Sunday, the White House said, as Hurricane Irma's path moved away from the lower Florida Keys westward to the Gulf Coast and states to the north.
The Republican president also issued a disaster declaration for Puerto Rico on Sunday and expanded federal funds available to the US Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Irma, the White House said.
More Than 1 Million Without Power as Irma Bears Down on Florida
Packing 130-mph (210-kph) winds, Hurricane Irma knocked out electricity to more than 1 million Florida homes and businesses on Sunday and threatened the state's Gulf Coast with potentially catastrophic flooding.
The storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Atlantic, passed over the Florida Keys archipelago off the state's southern tip and was on a course for the state's western coast, which was expecting storm surges – water driven ashore by the winds – of up to 15 feet (4.6 m), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Irma, which prompted one of the largest evacuations in US history, is expected to cause billions of dollars in damage to the third-most-populous US state, a major tourism hub, with an economy comprising about 5 percent of US gross domestic product.
Irma is currently a Category 4 hurricane that has now passed over the lower Florida Keys and is headed toward the mainland, the NHC said in its latest update.
Hurricane Irma Reaches Florida Keys
Hurricane Irma's northern eyewall has reached the lower Florida Keys. Amid urgent warnings from state officials to evacuate before it was too late, downtown Miami was all but abandoned on Saturday.
Sheets of rain and wind gusts of more than 50 mph swept through the deserted city of 4,00,000 people several hours before expected landfall.
On Florida's west coast, resident Charley Ball said he expected a storm surge to completely engulf the island of Sanibel where he lives.
“Just left the island and said goodbye to everything I own,” said Ball, 62.
Irma Becomes Category 4; "You Need to Leave", Warns Guv
Hurricane Irma regains Category 4 strength with 130 mph (210 kph) winds as it moves toward Florida. Florida Governor Rick Scott said half a day before the cyclone is expected to hit the state:
60 Indian Nationals Evacuated from St Martin Island in Caribbean
About 60 Indian nationals are being evacuated from the vacation island of St Martin in the Caribbean, which has been devastated by Hurricane Irma, an extremely powerful storm that wreaked havoc in the region.
Most of the Indian nationals have a transit visa, a temporary short period visa, to the US.
For those who do not have a transit visa, the Indian Embassy here is working with the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security for getting them one, so that they can take the first available flight to the US and then travel back home.
National Hurricane Center Issues Alert
The National Hurricane Center has issued an alert saying:
Hurricane Irma Turns its Fury to Florida Keys
Hurricane Irma turned its fury toward the Florida Keys on Saturday after setting off one of the largest evacuations of Americans from a storm and completing a destructive march along Cuba's northern coast.
The storm was about 105 miles (170 km) southeast of Key West with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (205 kilometers per hour), the center said.
Irma was moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).
Irma was expected to rip through Florida's southern archipelago on Sunday morning as a Category 4 storm, the second-highest designation on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Wind gusts near hurricane force began to batter the Florida Keys late on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Florida governor Rick Scott has already alerted the citizens to brace themselves ahead of the “life-threatening” impact to come.
Miami Beach a Ghost Town in Irma's Wake
As Hurricane Irma barrels across the Caribbean toward Florida, Miami Beach residents who refused to join the millions fleeing their state are out walking dogs and surfing in a ghostly city.
Oceanfront restaurants and stores that had rushed with last-minute storm preparations Friday were closed and boarded up. The wind, which was picking up strength, had knocked branches off some of the palm trees on its iconic promenade.
Authorities have warned of possible deadly tornadoes as well as "life-threatening" ocean swells that could be more than 15 feet (4.5 meters) higher than normal – in a city with no geographic high points.
Irma Downgraded to a Category 3 Storm
Hurricane Irma has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm, from its former tag of Category 5, impeded by Cuba’s landmass. However, weather forecasters claim it could strengthen by Sunday, after crossing the Florida straits’ warm waters, reported the Financial Times.
The International Red Cross said 1.2 million people had already been hit by Irma, a number that could rise to 26 million.
St Martin, a pristine island resort divided between France and the Netherlands, also suffered the full fury of the storm.
Hurricane Ravages Cuba
Hurricane Irma ripped roofs off houses and flooded hundreds of miles of coastline as it raked Cuba's northern coast after devastating islands the length of the Caribbean in a trail of destruction that has left at least 22 people dead so far.
As Irma left Cuba late Saturday and directed its 120 mph (195 kph) winds toward Florida, authorities on the island were assessing the damage and warning of staggering damage to keys off the northern coast studded with all-inclusive resorts and cities, as well as farmland in central Cuba.
India's MEA Shares Helpline Numbers with Indian Diaspora
India’s Ministry of External Affairs’spokesperson Raveesh Kumar shared embassy numbers with Indian diaspora in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma:
60 Percent of Homes in St Martin Wrecked by Category 5 Irma
Barreling across the Caribbean, the rare Category Five Irma on Thursday wielded monster winds and torrential rain, wreaking destruction on tiny islands like St Martin, where 60 percent of homes were wrecked, before slamming into the US Virgin Islands.
Katia Heading Towards Eastern Mexico
Hurricane Katia has strengthened slightly as it swirls toward eastern Mexico and remains on track to gain major hurricane strength upon landfall, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Thursday.
The category 1 hurricane is about 185 miles (300 km) east-southeast of Tampico, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kph), the NHC said.
Hurricane Jose Gaining Momentum
Hurricane Jose is maintaining strength and is expected to be located near the northern Leeward Islands on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The Category 3 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale is about 635 miles (1,020 km) east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kph), the NHC said on Thursday.
Some slight strengthening is possible during the next day or so, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
Former US Presidents to Raise Funds
The five living former US presidents are creating the “One America Appeal” to raise money for storm recovery as Texas and Louisiana regroup from Harvey and Florida braces for Hurricane Irma.
Organizers say a special restricted account has been established through the George HW Bush Presidential Library Foundation to collect and quickly distribute donations. Officials say "100 cents out of every dollar" donated will help hurricane victims.
30 Percent of Barbuda Wiped Off
Irma also laid waste to tiny Barbuda, a Caribbean island which suffered “absolute devastation,” with up to 30 percent of properties demolished, Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said.
More than half of Puerto Rico’s population of three million was without power, with rivers breaking their banks in the center and north of the island, where Governor Ricardo Rossello activated the National Guard and opened storm shelters sufficient for up to 62,000 people.
France, Netherlands Also Affected
The Netherlands said the storm killed at least one person and injured several others on the Dutch part of St Martin, where communications were all but cut off.
The Netherlands said it was racing to provide food and water for 40,000 people over the next five days, while France said more than 100,000 packages of combat rations were en route.
A 200-member French team flew in to Guadeloupe to coordinate rescue efforts, headed by Overseas Territories Minister Annick Girardin.