Florida residents, shocked by Hurricane Irma, return to their destroyed homes.
The remnants of Hurricane Irma, which descended to a tropical storm, plunged deep into the United States, leaving more than half of all residents in the state without part of their property and plunging the city streets of Orlando, Miami and other coastal cities under water. This affected the coastal zone of the states of Georgia and South Carolina.
Dropped to tropical storm Irma, Monday was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes before it hit Florida Key on Sunday and swept north along the Gulf Coast, moving inland, damaging the third most populous U.S. state, Reuters writes.
Still, the scale of destruction in Florida and neighboring states has faded in comparison to the total devastation of Category 5 Hurricane Irma in parts of the Caribbean, where the storm killed nearly 40 people - at least 10 of them in Cuba - before showing its rage in Florida.
The Florida Key resort archipelago of the United States, which is located in the Gulf of Mexico and connects to the mainland by one narrow highway, was especially hard hit, Governor Rick Scott said at a press conference on Monday. “There is destruction there,” he said, adding that virtually every mobile home on the island chain was left upside down. "It's terrible what we've seen."
While some of the Florida Key evacuees expressed anger that authorities were refusing to allow them to return to their homes on Monday, the US Department of Defense said the 10,000 residents who remained on the island could now find themselves stranded and in need of evacuation.
Florida Key residents were largely evacuated before the storm hit, but police have now set up a roadblock to prevent displaced residents from returning as authorities work to restore electricity, water, fuel supplies and medical care.
Monroe County firefighters said they would later return access to the road on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. local time for residents and business owners from Largo, the main island at the upper end of the archipelago, and the cities of Tavernier and Islamorada further south.
The situation in Miami after Hurricane Irma. In Miami, which narrowly escaped Irma's most damaging winds but experienced severe flooding, Little Haiti residents returned to the rubble of houses and trailers that had been smashed to pieces by the storm.
“I wanted to cry, but this is what is, this is life,” said 67-year-old Melida Hernandez, who emerged from a nearby church after the storm, looking at the ruins of her home, split in two by a fallen tree.
Severe flooding was reported Monday in northeastern Florida, including Jacksonville, where police were rescuing residents from water as the St. John's River rose to levels unseen since 1846.
"Stay inside. Climb. Don't get out," the Jacksonville website says warning residents. "There are floods throughout the city." The city also warned residents that they feared snakes and alligators trapped in their homes due to flooding.
Until dawn on Monday, Florida National Guard troops and local firefighters were rescuing about 150 people from dozens of flooded homes in western Orlando and ferrying them in large trucks and lifeboats to a shelter in higher areas.
Irma later moved to Georgia, lowering the wind speed to 100 km / h, the tidal waves of the storm led to flooding in coastal cities in Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Hurricane Irma victims in the USA
The storm found its first victim over a weekend in Florida Key - a man was found dead in a pickup truck that crashed into a tree due to strong winds.
On Sunday in Orange County, Florida, it was reported that there was at least one more, possibly assault-related fatal car accident. Two people were killed by falling trees in two suburbs of Atlanta on Monday, local officials said.
According to the state, about 6.5 million people, about one third of Florida's population, were displaced from their homes before Ira arrived, and more than 200,000 people sought refuge in 700 shelters.
State officials are urging evacuees across the state to stay put and not rush home, saying many power lines have been knocked down, debris scattered, and other dangers, including snakes and aligators in people's homes. "Don't put your life at great risk," Gov. Rick Scott said.
One of the biggest problems was widespread power outages, with an estimated 7.4 million homes and businesses without power in Florida and neighboring states. Authorities said it could take weeks to fully restore service to businesses and households. Gov. Scott said 65% of Florida residents were without electricity.
Movement to and from Florida also remained unchanged. Miami International Airport, one of the busiest in the country, stopped passenger flights at least on Monday.
Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale County Police reported 48 arrests for looting.
Insured property losses in Florida due to Hurricane Irma are expected to be between US $ 20 billion and US $ 40 billion. The figure, below previous forecasts of up to $ 50 billion in insurance losses, helped calm Wall Street as there were concerns that Irma would curtail US economic growth.
The National Hurricane Observatory reports that Irma's epicenter is now 85 kilometers east of Talahasi in Florida. The wind speed at the epicenter is about 95 km / h or 26.3 m / s. At a speed of about 28 km / h, Irma is moving into the southeastern regions of Georgia and on Tuesday is expected to affect the eastern regions of Alabama.
Irma caused the worst flooding in 100 years in Jacksonville: the historical maximum of water rise, set in 1864, has already been overcome and the water level in some areas in the central part of the city has reached 1.2 meters.
From now on, you can submit official applications for the damage caused by Irma to personal property and business. If a hurricane damaged your property, take supporting pictures and submit a damage claim.
In Atlanta, for the first time in the history of the city, a tropical storm warning has been announced. One of the largest US airports, an important transportation hub, announced a partial closure. Delta was the first to announce the cancellation of flights, with more than 800 flights in total.
Residents are starting to return from shelters to their homes. There is no information about large-scale destruction, only felled trees are reported.
Photo @MikeTheiss 3h
Photo @ZacharyYatesFL
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Charleston, South Carolina. The warning is in effect until 1 am local time.
The National Hurricane Center has just released an updated projection of Irma that shows an approaching storm near the Florida-Georgia border. “Irma continues to weaken, moving across the extreme northern part of Florida,” the center said.
Miami Mayor Thomas Regalado said about 72% of the city is de-energized, but officials have a recovery plan. The biggest problem is roads, Regalado said, adding that thousands of trees have been felled.
10:00 Atlanta, Georgia, the busiest airport, canceled nearly 900 flights on Monday due to storm Irma. These cancellations account for about a third of the airport's total daily schedule.
In addition, Delta has advised customers who are scheduled to fly to Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday to change their route. The airline will not charge any cancellation fees.
Southwest Airlines said it will operate a short cut in Atlanta and Birmingham on Monday. The airline hopes to normalize operations at these airports on Tuesday.
08:50 The Florida Governor is urging people not to return to their homes until they are told.
08:30 Hurricane Irma weakened to a tropical storm with gusts of wind up to 112 km / h. It is expected to weaken further as it continues to push further inland.
07:30 Hurricane Irma has weakened to Category 1 and is located 80 km from the Tampa Bay area with a population of about three million. At least three people have already died in the south of the state. Now forecasts include flooding that has already begun in Miami.
The hurricane loses strength, the maximum sustained wind speed is up to 140 km / h.
Although the elements are weakening, they should be feared at least until late Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
7:00 The National Hurricane Center also warns of a tornado threat in northeast Florida, southeast Georgia and South Carolina that will persist until Tuesday morning.
6:30 Hurricane Irma was the most powerful tropical storm hitting the US Atlantic coast in a decade and caused tremendous damage to several island states in the Caribbean:
- Cuba: no casualties were reported, although the authorities recalled significant losses. There is no electricity in Havana.
Photo: twitter / picworld
@picworldru
- Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy: 60% of all houses on the island of Saint-Martin, which is divided between France and the Netherlands into two parts, uninhabitable, the French authorities said. On the French side of the island, nine people were killed and seven people were missing. Four people died on the Dutch side of the island.
- Turks and Caicos , British Overseas Territory: significant destruction.
- Antigua and Barbuda: 95% of the buildings on this small island are destroyed; Prime Minister Gaston Brown said the restoration would cost $ 100 million. One person died.
- Anguilla: significant damage, one person died
- Puerto Rico: More than six thousand inhabitants of this American territory are hiding in shelters and many are left without electricity. At least three people were killed.
- British Virgin Islands: five people died, serious damage.
- US Virgin Islands: killed four people, badly damaged infrastructure
6:00 What is known about hurricanes Jose and Katya?
Hurricane Jose, which followed Hurricane Irma, is Category 4 and has a wind speed of 190 km per hour along its perimeter. Initially, it threatened the same areas that Hurricane Irma struck, but has now swung north towards the open ocean.
Hurricane Katya, which originated in the Gulf of Mexico, is a Category I tropical storm. It hit the Mexican state of Veracruz on Friday evening and then turned into a tropical anticyclone.
Hurricane Irma has weakened to a tier two of five possible, but continues to move inland. Its speed just after midnight is about 50 meters per second. Several people have already died in the south of the state. Now forecasts include flooding that has already begun in Miami.
At Florida Power & Light (it is the largest electricity supplier in the state) said that the company will resume power supply to almost all customers on the east coast by Sunday. Customers in the western part of the state should expect electricity in five days.
Company spokesman Rob Gould said the damage to electrical infrastructure was not as extensive as expected.
“What we are seeing is encouraging, especially on the west coast where our core transmission structures have not been affected,” Gould said. He added that there are still exceptions where the damage was particularly serious.
Florida under attack by Irma: how did the USA survive the hurricane?About half of the state's 21 million residents were left without electricity. Gov. Rick Scott said more than 30,000 freelancers are working to reactivate the supply of light across the state.
The Florida Keys turned out to be the hardest hit part of Florida. The water supply during the hurricane did not work, all three of the islands' hospitals were closed, and the supply of gasoline was extremely limited.
To enter the Florida Keys, a yellow sticker was required on the car, giving the right to stay on the islands, or proof of residence or property in their territory.
County officials warned residents that the service sector there is now in a limited mode.
Meanwhile, parts of Florida have returned to normal. Workers cleared roads and resumed gas supplies, while residents who fled the hurricane on cruise ships returned. The flooded streets still remind of the devastating hurricane Irma.
The USDA said hurricane victims who receive food stamps can use them for hot meals, usually in violation of program rules.
The cruise industry is returning to normal life. Royal Caribbean and Carnival planned to resume cruises from Port Everglades to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.
In Georgia, Irma left 15 cm of precipitation, and in Atlanta, wind gusts reached 96 km / h. In some coastal areas, damage and flooding were reported, with more than 500,000 people being evacuated before the storm. Tibi Island Mayor Jason Buelterman said hundreds of houses were flooded there.
Parts of South Carolina also experienced strong wind and rain, and historic Charleston was among the cities hit by flooding.
Alabama and North Carolina declared states of emergency before the storm, and the remains of Irma swept across several other states, the National Weather Service said.
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Rescue and recovery efforts have begun in Florida after Hurricane Irma hit the state on Monday night. As it got closer to Miami, the hurricane weakened, but Irma still caused significant damage to many cities in the state.
Local media reported four deaths. The situation in the Florida Keys, about 25 km from Miami, is described by rescuers as a humanitarian crisis.
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On the night of September 10, the wind speed in hurricane Irma reached 160 km / h. Irma is now classified as a tropical storm and is no longer considered a hurricane.
Earlier, "Irma" hit Cuba, bringing torrential rains and gusty winds. According to media reports, the wind speed in Cuba reached 250 kilometers per hour, the wave height was seven meters.
Also "Irma" almost completely destroyed the island of Barbuda, but bypassed the Bahamas.
Florida Keys crisis
Jane O" Brian, Miami-based BBC correspondent
Overall, Miami might not have been a lot more fortunate. The center of the hurricane did not walk through the city itself, but strongly touched the Florida Keys (a chain of coral islands at a distance of about 25 km from the US coast). It is to the islands that the attention of rescuers is riveted.
Communication with the islands was poor as early as Friday. A certain number of people were evacuated and stayed in the same hotel as us, and they had a hard time keeping in touch with the relatives who remained.
Reportedly, about 10 thousand people remained on the islands to wait out the storm. We don't know what's wrong with them now.
The first thing the rescuers have to do is to check how many of the 42 bridges connecting the islands with each other are still intact. If at least one is not functional, then problems may arise - some of the islands may be isolated.
The entire area of \u200b\u200bthe islands is closed - it is impossible to get there until the authorities finish assessing the damage.
The scale of the rescue operation
More than 3.4 million homes across the state of Florida are without electricity. In Miami alone, 80% of all high-voltage wires were cut off, large areas of the city were flooded, although compared to many other parts of the state, the city suffered no catastrophic damage.
On drone video from Naples, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, about 200 km northwest of Miami, rows of ruined single-story houses and flooded streets between them are visible.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Florida's south coast with its resorts is hit hardestPresident Donald Trump has allocated a large budget to help Florida, calling Hurricane Irma "a huge monster."
The money will go to medical care, debris removal, restoration of power supply and renovation of buildings.
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Isle of Saint-Martin: Before and After Hurricane IrmaMonroe County (population 73,000) rescue manager Martin Centerfitt says a large air force and National Guard rescue mission will soon arrive in the state, according to the Miami Herald.
In the Florida Keys, which are part of Monroe County, "emergency burial teams" are to arrive as part of the mission.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Several fatal car accidents linked to the hurricaneState government rescue program director Brian Kuhn told reporters that it would be impossible to determine the exact number of victims until the start of the rescue operation.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott continued to tweet the warnings Monday morning. "Even a running stream of water six inches deep can knock you off your feet," the governor wrote. "Stay home - stay safe," Scott tweeted.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption "Irma" according to the latest reportsWhat the locals say
“We constantly feel the building swaying like on a ship,” Dimi Lomas, the owner of a restaurant and apartment in the 35-story building, told Reuters.
At least four deaths among local residents are associated with the hurricane.
A police officer working in a hurricane shelter died while driving home and collided with another car. A policeman was also driving that car, and he also died.
In Orange County, a driver died in a car accident.
Another fatal road accident occurred in the town of Marathon in Monroe County.
Before the hurricane reached the state, local authorities ordered the evacuation of 6.3 million coastal residents - more than a quarter of Florida's total population.
The operation of the international airports of Fort Lauderdale and Miami has virtually ceased.
Irma in the Caribbean
Hurricane Irma entered Florida from the Caribbean, hitting Cuba and Puerto Rico.
In the Caribbean islands, the Red Cross estimated that more than a million people were affected by the hurricane. According to the organization, the strongest hurricane destroyed almost all buildings in Barbuda and left the residents of Puerto Rico without electricity, as well as caused significant damage to the British Virgin Islands, the islands of Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
According to the latest reports, the hurricane claimed the lives of 10 people.
The Red Cross has allocated about 600 thousand Swiss francs to prepare for rapid assistance to the population, which may be affected by the storm.
In Puerto Rico, which is an American territory, 6,000 people still remain in shelters, many more left without electricity.
In Cuba, 10 people became victims of the disaster; in the island's capital, Havana, there is no electricity.
Florida fell victim to Hurricane Irma, which swept across the United States on September 10, 2017. Photos of the consequences of the disaster are simply horrific. They show the destruction left behind by the hurricane.
Hurricane Irma swept along the Florida coast on Sunday 10 September. In terms of strength, it was assigned to the 4th category. After sweeping through the northwestern part of the state, the storm weakened, reaching the level of a tropical storm by Monday. The National Hurricane Center predicted that the storm should have softened to a tropical depression by Tuesday.
After itself "Irma" left serious damage:
- some houses have been completely destroyed and many people have lost their homes;
- the streets are full of fallen trees and electrical supports;
- significant territories are flooded;
- the boats were thrown ashore by the waves;
- overturned cars.
Evacuation of state residents
Some 6.3 million people were evacuated from the alleged disaster sites prior to the storm. Such data was provided by the Florida Department of Emergency Management. People left their homes, taking only the most valuable and necessary things.
The government has organized a mandatory evacuation of citizens from the most dangerous regions. Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a decree 4 days before the hurricane arrived.
Hurricane aftermath
The wind speed reached 70 miles per hour (over 110 km / h). The hurricane overturned yachts and other light-engine vessels. The photo below shows a yacht that was thrown on the coast in Biscayne Bay (Florida).
In northern Miami, the streets along the coast are flooded with water. People leave their homes, collecting the necessary things in garbage bags.
In addition to strong winds, Hurricane Irma brought heavy rains with it. The disaster left behind destroyed houses, overturned power lines, flooded cars and fallen trees.
The photo shows Maida Estevez. This woman, like many residents of Florida, was the victim of a natural disaster. She stands in a ruined house in the middle of what was once a living room.
Maida Estevez's neighbor, Jorge Gonzalez, shows the damage the hurricane inflicted on his property. Not only the house was damaged, but also the man's car.
After the end of the hurricane, many settlements were de-energized. More than 2 million citizens were left without electricity.
Flood
Heavy rains led to the flooding of many areas. People were forced to leave the suburbs due to the increased water level.
In Orlando, Florida, Army National Guard Spc soldier Thomas Hogan rescued a dog from a flooded area.
A photo taken in the Daytona Beach area shows a man crossing a flooded street.
In the Northern Port, the police tried to pull a car out of the water, which was badly damaged by the storm.
The hurricane peaked on Sunday (September 10). Residents of Miami and other Florida cities had to wade through flooded streets, resisting strong gusts of wind.
Elemental force
During the storm, the wind reached such a force that it uprooted large trees and filled up concrete power poles. The next photo shows a powerful structure that fell from the onslaught of nature. A concrete pillar was blown down by the wind near an oceanfront condominium building in Boca Raton.
Most types of property were crushed under the powerful onslaught of the Irma.
An electric pole that fell on the A1A state highway in Boca Raton is under the protection of a police patrol.
Some settlements have experienced the maximum effect of the natural cataclysm. A photograph taken in Tampa shows a young man walking along Bayshore Boulevard past a fallen tree. At this time, powerful storm clouds continue to circle over his head.
Some residential buildings in Tampa were completely destroyed by the elements.
In some areas of Miami and elsewhere, there are cars that have been overturned by a gusty wind.
The next photo shows how a large truck turned over on its side, under the powerful influence of wind and flood. This photo was also taken in Miami.
The hurricane was so strong that it uprooted the trees. Palm trees, which were planted not so long ago, were swept by the wind along the roads of Miami Beach.
This tree, which fell in Kissimmee, collapsed to the ground a few meters from the residential building, miraculously not catching the structure.
The following image shows a gas station in North Readington Beach where a gale-force wind knocked down a huge structure.
In Orlando, the siding was torn from the DoubleTree hotel. One of the correspondents of the Swiss Public Broadcasting - Thomas von Grunigen - posted a photo of the building on Twitter. It was taken on Monday morning after the elements had subsided. The 4 upper floors were particularly affected.
The gale wind was so strong and powerful that the sand from Fort Lauderdale beach moved to the nearby boulevard.
Flooding in Jacksonville broke the record set in 1964
By Monday morning, the water level had reached 60.4 inches (over 153 cm). This is significantly higher than during the 1964 flood.
The St. John's River overflowed its banks. Its waters flooded the nearby St. Vincent Medical Center (Jacksonville).
Some 5.8 million homes and businesses in Florida and Georgia appear lifeless. Residents of areas where a powerful blow of the disaster was predicted, first went to safe places.
HuffPost reporter Sebastian Murdoch posted on his Twitter page a photo of the empty hotel in Miramar where he was staying.
Irma exterminated a whole species of mammals
Hurricane Irma was not only in trouble in Florida. When it hit Cuba, it caused the death of a whole species of rats, Capromys auritus, also called Cuban Hutii.
These rodents have long been threatened with extinction. Big-eared Cuban hutias weigh 1-1.5 kg. The body reaches 28 cm in length, and the tail measures approximately 18 cm.
Hurricane Irma caused the formation of high waves that hit the island and led to the flooding of a huge area of \u200b\u200bmangrove forests, where this species of animals lived.
The natural disaster caused the deaths of several hundred iguanas. Sea sponges and corals were also affected by the hurricane.