Hurricane Irma: 9 Dead in Caribbean as Florida Braces for Impact

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Sep 07, 2017

Hurricane Irma: 9 Dead in Caribbean as Florida Braces for Impact

Hurricane Irma is making its way through the Caribbean, leaving massive destruction in its wake. CNN.com reports that at least nine people are reportedly dead in the Caribbean as Irma now threatens Puerto Rico and Florida.

Meteorologists are reporting that Irma, which is a Category 5 with sustained winds of up to 185 mph, is the fifth most powerful hurricane ever recorded. The storm brought severe destruction to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Martin, Barbuda and a string of other small islands in the Caribbean Wednesday into Thursday.

Those killed by the hurricane were on the islands of St. Martin, St. Bart’s, and Barbuda.

Irma is now heading toward the archipelagos of the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas, before threatening Florida this weekend and into early next week.

Meteorologists are still unsure which coast of Florida will be more directly in Irma’s path. "Regardless of which (Florida) coast you live on, be prepared to evacuate," said Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has declared a state of emergency for the entire state. "This is not a storm you can sit and wait through. ... We can't save you after the storm starts," he added.

Many Floridians have already or are currently in the process of evacuating. 

Officials in many of the Caribbean islands in Irma’s path now fear severe flooding. They could reportedly see up to 15 inches of rain.

 

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/Gabiixs

Publication date: September 7, 2017



Hurricane Irma: 9 Dead in Caribbean as Florida Braces for Impact