Irma regains Category 4 force; Indian missions set up helpline
WASHINGTON: Millions of people, including thousands of Indian-americans, in Florida braced for “life-threatening” Hurricane Irma which hit the state’s southern islands today as a category four storm after leaving a trail of destruction across the Caribbean.
The powerful hurricane has already hit the eastern Caribbean with its devastatingly high winds, killing at least 25 people and leaving destruction in its wake.
About 60 Indian nationals are being evacuated from the vacation island of St Martin in the Caribbean, which has been devastated by Hurricane Irma, an extremely powerful storm that wreaked havoc in the region. Most of the Indian nationals have a transit visa, a temporary short period visa, to the US.
It is expected to pummel the low-lying Florida Keys with winds reaching 130mph, before travelling north-west up Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Irma has already devastated parts of the Caribbean with at least 25 deaths. About 60 Indian nationals are being evacuated from the vacation island of St Martin in the Caribbean. Around 120,000 Indian-americans reside across Florida while thousands of them live in the now-dangerous zones of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.
The Indian embassy in the US has opened a round-theclock helpline number and rushed senior diplomats to Atlanta to lead relief efforts for Indian-americans stuck in the region. Embassy officials said India’s Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna was closely monitoring the situation.
Sandeep Chakravorty, India’s consul-general in New York, was in Atlanta overseeing preparation for relief efforts from a 24X7 control room.
“Atlanta is fully prepared to take care of evacuees from Florida. Some have already reached. Consulate is on call 24x7,” it said in another tweet.
The Indian Friends of Atlanta - in association with the Consulate-general of India, the Gujarat Samaj Atlanta and the Hindu Temple of Atlanta - have operationalised three shelters.
They were preparing to open more shelters and provide food. Several Indian businesses have started contributing to relief efforts. More than 6.3 million people were told to evacuate Florida, with warnings of a huge storm surge that would be “life-threatening” to anyone in its path. Miami and Tampa appeared “ghost towns” as nervous residents, many of whom struggled to cope with abandoning their homes, moved to safer places following mandatory evacuation notices.
Survivors on Caribbean islands shattered by Hurricane Irma begged the world for food, water, shelter and rescue on Saturday as they faced down armed looters and the prospect of a fresh onslaught from strengthening Hurricane Jose.
Survivors on Caribbean islands shattered by Irma begged the world for food, water, shelter and rescue as they faced down armed looters and the prospect of a fresh onslaught from strengthening Hurricane Jose