Florida (September 12, 2017): Hurricane Irma knocked out power to about 6.5 million homes in Florida, two third of the total, officials said on Monday.
Irma hit southwest Florida on Sunday morning as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, the second-highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. It had weakened to a tropical storm by Monday morning as it headed toward Georgia.
The storm, which was moving into southern Georgia, was packing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (97 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center’s latest update at 2 p.m. EDT.
Relief operations are under way and engineers are working to restore power, but many areas remain stranded. The islands of the Florida Keys and western parts of the US state bore the brunt of the category-four hurricane.
Media reports link at least four deaths to the storm in Florida. Last week it killed at least 37 people in Caribbean islands.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said it was “going to take some time” before people could return to their homes. He said: “Power lines are down throughout the state. We’ve got roads that are impassable, so everybody’s got to be patient as we work through this.”
The Keys are cut off from the mainland, as the 42 bridges that link them are being assessed for damage. Reports say that 10,000 people decided to ride out the storm.
Although Miami was spared the worst, large parts of the city are under water. Winds have snapped power lines and 72% of homes there are without electricity, officials say.
On the west coast of Florida, drone footage from Naples, a town on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico about 125 miles (200km) to the north-west, shows rows of shattered suburban homes on streets under water.
President Donald Trump has released emergency federal aid for Florida, describing the hurricane as a “big monster”.
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