Trail of destruction

Irma may no longer be a hurricane, but its devastation isn’t over yet

The New York Times

Days after it began its assault on the Caribbean and southern Florida, Irma was still churning north on Monday, causing fresh damage in areas where many Floridians had sought refuge over the weekend and wreaking havoc throughout much of Georgia and South Carolina.

At least 42 people have died as a result of the storm, including at least eight in the continental United States — in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to The Associated Press.

About 65 percent of Florida residents — as many as 6.7 million customers — remained without power Monday.

Areas of northern Florida were flooded, including Jacksonville, where flooding from a storm surge exceeded a record set by Hurricane Dora in 1964, the National Weather Service said. The city’s mayor urged those who needed to be rescued to raise makeshift white flags outside their homes.

As Irma pushed north, high winds felled trees and severed service lines Monday in Georgia and South Carolina, knocking out power for more than 900,000 customers in the two states.

Irma was downgraded, and a tropical storm warning was issued for all of Georgia’s Atlantic coast and most of the South Carolina coast.

Some of the worst flooding occurred in Charleston, S.C., where knee-high floodwaters coursed through the streets — high enough for some residents to navigate by kayak. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Charleston County and said

SEE IRMA, PAGE A-5

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press Larry Dimas walks around his destroyed trailer, which he had rented to others, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Monday in Immokalee, Fla. His tenants evacuated and no one was inside when it was destroyed.