13m without power and 180,000 in shelters after Irma devastates Florida
THIRTEEN million people in Florida remained without power today and huge numbers were still stranded or living in shelters as work to tackle the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Irma got under way.
The storm has now killed at least 35 people in the Caribbean and 10 in the US, including six in Florida — but authorities fear more may have perished.
After smashing into Florida as a Category 4, 130mph hurricane it has weakened to a tropical depression. But two thirds of the state’s population do not have electricity and officials warned it could take weeks for it to be restored.
Water and sewers have been knocked out, homes shattered, streets are under water, cars overturned and boats smashed and flung ashore. More than 180,000 people are in shelters. Large parts of Miami are underwater and the fate of Florida Keys, where Irma first hit, remains unclear because communications and access have been cut.
“I just hope everyone survived,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott, who flew over the devastation. “I don’t think I saw one trailer park where almost everything wasn’t overturned. It’s horrible, what we saw.
“I know for our entire state, especially the Keys, it’s going to be a long road.” He said it was too early to put a cost on damage that will certainly run into billions of pounds
An aircraft carrier and other navy ships were sent to help the searchand-rescue operation last night.
In the Caribbean, more than 700 troops and 50 police have been sent to the British Virgin Islands, which was battered by the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic. Aid efforts were under way and expats and tourists spoke of their shock at the destruction.
A Briton who has left the territory told how her partner — who stayed behind — was carrying a knife for protection because “everyone’s turned feral”. Claudia Knight, 33, who runs an arts school on the island of Tortola, returned to the UK with her daughter before the hurricane. She said that after seeing images of the storm’s power she thought at first that her partner, marine engineer Leo Whitting, 38, had died.
She added that the prison had been blown open by the storm and inmates were free to roam. “The military is everywhere with machineguns. Everyone’s turned feral and no one’s going out without being armed. You can’t drive your car without a weapon, it’s turning really nasty. Leo carries a knife with him.”
On the French and Dutch island of St Martin/Sint Maarten, residents warned of hunger and thirst. “There’s no food here. There’s no water,” said
‘Everyone’s turned feral and no one’s going out without being armed.’ Claudia Knight, whose partner is in the British Virgin Islands
Germania Perez, 70. Holland and France were sending aid and a French military ship with supplies was due to arrive today, coinciding with a visit by President Emmanuel Macron. Hundreds of tourists are still trying to leave, with dozens outside Princess Juliana Airport — where only five letters remain on its sign.
In Cuba, 10 people have died. Crews in Havana were clearing away thousands of fallen trees and schools were shut. President Raul Castro described damage to “housing, the electrical system and agriculture” and destruction in the northern keys, where there are dozens of beach resorts. Jardines del Rey airport, which serves the area, has been destroyed.
Some 6.3 million people in Florida were told to evacuate before Irma arrived and Mr Scott warned evacuees not to rush back home. “Storm impacts can continue well after the centre passes,” he said. Some chose to stay. Gwen Bush, who works in
Orlando, told Associated Press how she barely escaped her home as the waters rose yesterday. When they began to seep under her front door, she said: “I was scared to death, I thought I was gonna die. I can’t swim and the water kept rising; it was all