Rescuers trapped as Irma eases but still wreaks havoc in Florida
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TAMARA LUSH
A roof is strewn across a home’s lawn as Rick Freedman checks his neighbour’s damage in Marco Island, Florida.
People find downed trees in Fort Myers, Florida, following the storm.
In the Caribbean, at least 24 people were killed during Irma’s destructive trek across islands known as the holiday playground for the rich. In Cuba, the storm swamped Havana’s famous seawall, pushing water nearly a third of a mile inland.
In one of the largest US evacuations, nearly seven million people in the south east were warned to seek shelter, including 6.4 million in Florida alone.
More than 200,000 people waited in
Jerry Darnell stands in front of his house in Bonita Springs, Florida.
shelters across Florida. At Germain Arena, where thousands sought refuge south of Fort Myers, people sat amid puddles on the concrete floor.
Officials said wind-driven water leaked in at the height of the storm.
“Irma went over and we were all like, ‘Oh good, we survived.’ And then all of a sudden we started getting water pouring down in different places,” said 61-year-old Mary Fitzgerald.
“It was was like, ‘Oh my God, what is going to happen?’”
In the low-lying Keys, where a storm surge of over 10ft was recorded, appliances and furniture were seen floating away, and Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark said the ocean waters were filled with navigation hazards, including sunken boats.
A tide gauge in Naples reported a 7ft rise in water levels in 90 minutes on Sunday.