Devastation
Hurricane Irma made landfall this week in the Caribbean, tearing apart small islands such as St. Martin, as one of the strongest storms in the Atlantic ever recorded.
Here are some reported images from the destruction it's caused on its way towards Florida.
With winds of 185 miles per hour, Irma struck land for the first time on Wednesday, hitting the island of Barbuda first. It is now officially a Category 5 Hurricane. While Puerto Rico was largely unharmed, more than 70 percent of households lost power.
Where Is It Heading?
So far, it's hit St. Martin and Anguilla extremely hard as it heads towards South Florida this weekend.
Not only is the intensity of the storm forecasters' most important question right now, but the trajectory is a major concern as well. Right now, South Floridians are either packing up their cars and hitting the road towards Orlando or they're buying as many water bottles and toilet paper as they can get their hands on.
Preparation
They are preparing for the worst, even taking the necessary measures to board up their windows.
Government officials are preparing for recovery measures, power loss, and evacuation control. Hurricane Andrew was the last major hurricane that hit southern Florida in 1992, but there wasn't nearly as much development in Southern and Central Florida as there is here in 2017.
Category 5 Hurricane
Of course, that poses a much larger threat to Floridians and how much devastation Irma could cause.
The Category 5 storm leveled Barbuda, leaving it barely inhabitable as it destroyed 95 percent of its buildings. It has since begun wreaking havoc and destruction over the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba.
Taking Its Toll
The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands will also be in trouble on Thursday.
Gerald Collomb, French Interior Minister, said that eight people have been killed within French territory and there have been at least three reported deaths outside of their territory. It is expected that the death toll will undoubtedly rise as communication improves.
Unexpected Damage
With the potential to cause catastrophic flooding early on Saturday, President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Barbuda Reduced To Rubble
Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda said on Wednesday that his nation was lucky to dodge the worst of the storm, declaring in a statement, “The essential point is that our main infrastructure has stood up and our country can resume normal life within hours.” He went so far as to add, “I dare to say that no other country in the Caribbean would have been as well prepared as we were.” It turned out that his statement was anything but accurate as Barbuda, which is home to about 1,600 people, had been leveled and left barely inhabitable with multiple deaths and a telecommunications tower broken in half.
The Prime Minister later clarified that communication has been lost with the sister island and it wasn't until later that day that he saw the devastation, flying by helicopter over the rubble left from the storm. He was shocked that the 40-mile distance between the two islands could show such opposite effects of Irma. He said, “What I saw was heart-wrenching — I mean, absolutely devastating,”.
Too Early To Report On Destruction
It is estimated that it would cost roughly $150 Million to restore the island to some form of normality and even that would be far short of prior living conditions. “Hurricane Irma would have been easily the most powerful hurricane to have stormed through the Caribbean,” he said, “and it is extremely unfortunate that Barbuda was right in its path.”
On Wednesday night, President Emmanuel Macron of France said that it was too early to report the toll Irma had taken on the islands of St. Martin and St.
Florida Prepares For The Worst
Barthélemy. French officials reported the death toll was at least two, and President Macron said the aftermath would be “harsh and cruel.” In a crisis meeting in Paris, he said, “We will have victims to lament, and the material damage on the two islands is considerable”.
Governor of Florida, Rick Scott said, "I have directed State Law Enforcement to provide escort for gas trucks to get them through traffic so they can get to the stations faster. These state law escorts or happening right now.
Long Lines For Gas
For gas stations in evacuation zones, we need you to stay open as long as possible so people can get out. We will arrange police escorts for your employees so they can get out safely."
Governor Rick Scott said, "We need your gas stations to stay open as long as you can. We know fuel is important and we are calling on all state resources in addressing this. You will see lines and adages, unfortunately.
Florida Evacuation
I know this has to be very frustrating and we will not stop working on this." "If you are in the keys and still home, leave and get out. We can't save you once the storm hits."
In this image, we see the long lines of traffic along the highway where Florida Keys residents are evacuating. They are heading Governor Rick Scott's advice to leave immediately.
Preparing Homes
He suggested that he can't replace family members but he can help to replace homes. He made it clear that he is expecting the worst and that they should too.
Like many other Floridians, this man is seen purchasing several sheets of plywood to board up the windows of his home before the storm. This is a tactic that many native Floridians are taking as they underestimate the storm's full potential.
Running Out Of Water
It will be heading right up the Eastern seaboard at its maximum potential. State officials are confident that the experience will be very similar to what was seen in the Caribbean as trees will be knocked over and flooding will cause a great deal of damage.
Floridians are running into the same issue at every grocery store they find. Bottled water is running short in supply as residents are stocking up as much as they can, preparing to be trapped in their homes with the aftermath of Irma.
Damage In The British Virgin Islands
As we can see in the image, the shelves are completely wiped out of water bottles.
A taxi driver in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, said most of the corrugated steel roofs in his neighborhood had been blown away. He saw two of them, from houses facing his, flying away in the wind. He said there was a lot of rain and wind, more than he had ever seen before.
Leveling The Caribbean Islands
He posted several videos to his Facebook page as the storm passed through. He said, “All the trees around us have no leaves,” he added. “Everything is empty.”
One St. Thomas resident said, “It feels seismic, it feels catastrophic.” Gov. Ricardo A.
Destroying Palm Trees
Rosselló said at a televised briefing on Wednesday that six to eight inches of rain were expected in Puerto Rico, with some areas receiving up to 12 inches. “As the history with Harvey states,” he said, referring to the hurricane that battered Houston, “flooding can become the major cause of death in events of this nature.”
Puerto Rican Officials warned that the electrical grid might be out of commission for months. It was estimated that more than 300,000 people had lost power on Wednesday.
The worst part of that is how it affected more than 4,000 homes' water supply. Unfortunately, the economy really couldn't handle this kind of devastation at this point in time because they don't have the financial ability to recover.