Hurricane Irma Wreaks Havoc in Florida Keys, 3 Dead

At least 3 people were dead within few hours of hurricane Irma striking Florida Keys, the south-easternmost tip of the United States. The storm, described as ‘catastrophic’ by experts, made landfall in the wee hours of Sunday. The coastal town of Key West was worst affected.


The Category-4 hurricane struck with a speed as high as 130 km/hr, along with waves up to 16 feet high. “Areas of south Florida and the Keys have had up 12 inches of rain, and storm surge could reach 15 feet on the west coast,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said during the press brief.


“Devastating tornadoes could hit parts of southern Florida. The alert continues to remain for today and tomorrow,” he added.


The National Hurricane Center claims the storm could further intensify and “swallow the coastal towns” in southern and eastern Florida.


The storm would takeover a “catastrophic, life-threatening form” in southwestern part of the state as well, the hurricane centre said, adding that 10 to 15 feet of inundation above ground level is expected in those regions.


According to Scott, the wrath of Irma is “unprecedented” as even though state took measures to minimise the number of casualties, it could not prevent the “damage to properties worth billions”.


In Florida, a total of 36 million have been affected so far by the hurricane, which encompasses almost the entire state. as many as 5.6 million people, mostly in the coastal parts, have been evacuated by the authorities. Many of the evacuees have been shifted to Georgia, apart from the 390 high-altitude shelter houses built in the state.


The Category 4 storm, one of the strongest hurricanes ever reported in the Atlantic, made its first landfall on the island of Barbuda as a Category 5 hurricane on Wednesday, before lashing Florida today.


24 people were killed due to Irma in the Caribbean islands, with Barbados being damaged up to 95 per cent.


As the deadly storm enters US, the Pentagon and State Department officials are keenly monitoring its movement in the States.




Source:India.com

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