‘Apocalyptic’ Irma slashes its way toward Florida

Caribbean islands suffer direct hits

Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in history, tore through a string of Caribbean islands Wednesday, knocking down buildings and disrupting power as it settled into a likely track for a weekend landing in southern Florida.

There were no immediate casualty figures from the storm, particularly from areas where power was knocked out. But French President Emmanuel Macron said there will be deaths in French Caribbean territories, France24 reported.

In Florida, South Carolina and Georgia, states of emergency were declared to prepare for a full onslaught from the storm’s 185-mph winds.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 1,000 National Guard members as authorities ordered evacuations for the Florida Keys and low-lying areas on the mainland.

“We can rebuild your home. We can’t rebuild your life,” he cautioned anyone contemplating riding out the storm.

The governor warned that Irma’s track could range from the Florida Panhandle to the East Coast and that the entire state should be prepared. He emphasized Irma would be stronger and

larger than Hurricane Andrew, the Category 5 storm in 1992 that killed 65 people in Florida, destroyed more than 63,500 homes and caused $26.5 billion in damage.

In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster also declared a state of emergency. “We got this,” he said. “We can’t stop the hurricane. If it comes, it’s going to be here, but we can be ready for it.”

Meanwhile, Florida officials worked to keep bottled water and fuel flowing into areas where residents were either stocking up to stay or getting ready to pull out.

In Key Largo, a steady stream of vehicles, many of them towing boats, flowed off the Keys toward Miami Wednesday afternoon.

“People are pretty calm now that it’s shifted more east, but everyone is still preparing,” said gas station owner Ray Ochoa, 42.

Ochoa said his Key Largo Chevron station ran out of gas Tuesday, with high hurricane demand coming atop the traditionally heavy Labor Day weekend end of the tourist season.

“It’s a hell of a way to close out the season,” he said.

The pressure to prepare built throughout Wednesday as Irma swept west out of the open Atlantic and chewed through a string of islands, including St. Martin, Barbuda, Anguilla and St. Barts.

Irma appeared it would scrape the northern sections of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba and directly target the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Michel Magras, senator on the small French-speaking island of St. Barts, sent a text describing the “monster that passes over us,” FranceInfo.com reported. “It is apocalyptic, a lot of damage, a lot of roofs torn off,” he wrote.

President Trump has declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.