Millions Are Without Power In Florida As Irma Is Downgraded To A Tropical Storm
A week after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas, Hurricane Irma has blazed through the Caribbean and Florida. Here's what you need to know.
This post has been updated throughout to reflect the most recent forecasts and projections. For frequent updates, read the Associated Press live blog.
Irma In Florida
Irma Has Been Downgraded To A Tropical Storm
Update, September 11, 8:51 AM: Hurricane Irma was downgraded to Tropical Storm Irma with 70 mph winds Monday morning, but it is still threatening coastal areas with a storm surge of 6 feet, according to NPR:
Irma has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and gusts of more than 90 mph. At 8 a.m. ET, Irma was about 105 miles north-northwest of Tampa — one of several areas where storm surge warnings remain in effect. Flash flood warnings have been issued in Jacksonville — a victim, like other eastern Florida areas, of the heaviest rains that are commonly found in hurricanes' northeast quarter.
[NPR]
The National Hurricane Center's latest projections show Irma shifting northwest through Alabama on Tuesday, reaching Tennessee on Wednesday.
Millions Across The State Of Florida Are Without Power
Update, September 11, 3:52 PM: The number of South Florida residents without power has risen to more than 10 million.
As the storm progressed through Florida, it knocked out the lights all over the state. In a press conference Monday morning, Eric Silagy, the president of the state's largest electric utility, Florida Power and Light, estimated that more than half the state is without power. That's more than 10 million people, which dwarfs the number who lost electricity during Hurricane Sandy, which had been the record holder for hurricane-related power problems with 6.2 million affected.
The New York Times reports that the number of outages statewide may be as high as 5.8 million.
Tampa Braced For The Worst, But The Mayor Says Damage Is 'Manageable'
Update, September 10, 3:45 PM: At a news conference and on Twitter, Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn had this to say of the storm:
Buckhorn has been quoted in the past talking about the dangers posed to Tampa by storms the likes of which Florida's Gulf Coast hasn't seen for many decades.
Update, September 11, 11:15 AM: On Monday morning, Buckhorn said the city had "dodge[d] a bullet."
"It's looking good," Mr. Buckhorn said. "The first blush is that not only did we dodge a bullet, but we survived pretty well. Not a lot of flooding. Tree removal, debris — don't want to say it's negligible, but it's manageable."
The Times has collected a number of first-hand accounts of the storm's touchdown this morning in southwest Florida.
Millions Were Ordered To Evacuate
Florida's governor issued a state of emergency and local officials began ordering evacuations on Tuesday.
A state of emergency has been declared for all counties in Florida… Gov. Rick Scott activated members of the Florida National Guard on Tuesday and said that all 7,000 will be available as of Friday morning… So water, food, fuel and emergency supplies can be brought in quickly, Scott has rescinded all weight and driver restrictions on the highways and also suspended all tolls… Officials in the Florida Keys have… ordered mandatory evacuations for both visitors and residents ahead of Hurricane Irma. Vistors will begin evacuating at 7 am on Wednesday… while resident evacuations will begin at 7 pm. Tuesday the Key West International Airport announced it would be suspending airline operations Wednesday night due to the threat of the storm.
Governor Scott asked the EPA and White House to lift fuel restrictions so that people would have enough gas to escape the area. A run on gasoline has created a shortage in the state.
On Thursday, the mayor of Miami Beach urged residents and tourists to evacuate on CNN, calling the storm "a nuclear hurricane":
President Trump Has Issued A Federal Disaster Designation For Nine Florida Countie
Update, September 10, 5:55 PM: The Trump White House has approved a federal disaster designation, extending federal aid funds to nine Florida counties.
The declaration authorizes the use of federal funds for the counties of Charlotte, Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pinellas and Sarasota.
"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a news release.
Airlines Capped Fares Out Of Florida To Help People Evacuate
Update, September 6, 5:45 PM: JetBlue and American Airlines have capped ticket prices at $99 for direct flights out of Florida, while Delta is selling tickets for a maximum of $399.
For existing reservations, JetBlue is waiving cancellation fees as well as waiving change fees and differences in air fare for rebooking.
"Given that many Floridians are struggling to get out of harm's way, this is welcome news," Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said in an emailed statement sent by a spokesman. "I hope more airlines do the right thing and follow suit."
Irma In The Caribbean
At Least 24 Are Dead In The Caribbean Islands
Update, September 9, 9:30 AM: The death toll continues to increase across in Irma's wake:
At least 24 people are known to have died in the Caribbean as a result of Irma. Many islands are still assessing the damage even as they try to prepare for the arrival of another major storm, Hurricane Jose.
[CNN]
Puerto Rico Residents Have Been Left Without Electricity And Water
Thursday morning, Puerto Rican officials are still assessing the damage from Irma after the hurricane grazed the island Wednesday night, but utility officials say that over a million people have been left without electricity, and over 50,000 people don't have running water:
Ricardo Ramos, chief executive of the island's electric utility, said about two-thirds of the island's electric customers — more than 1 million — were without power late Wednesday. More than 56,000 people were without potable water.
The hurricane adds to Puerto Rico's existing infrastructure issues, potentially leaving residents without power for months:
Irma is only the latest setback for Puerto Rico, which has been ravaged by an economic crisis for the last decade. Its crumbling infrastructure means that parts of the U.S. territory could be blacked out for months, authorities warned earlier in the week.
[NBC]
Irma Has Wreaked Havoc On Barbuda, Antigua And St. Martin
Update, September 6, 10:30 AM: According to the Miami Herald, the storm has made landfall with Barbuda and Antigua.
Hurricane Irma has already hit Barbuda, according to the 8 am Wednesday update, and is barreling towards the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which are under hurricane warnings. By Thursday morning Irma is likely to hit the Dominican Republic, followed by the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas on Friday, Cuba on Saturday and Sunday and Florida starting early Sunday.
Barbuda's Prime Minister has said that 90% of the island's structures and vehicles have been destroyed. Power has been cut off and people are taking cover in shelters, according to The New York Times.
Late Tuesday, wind gusts of around 50 miles per hour arrived in Antigua and Barbuda but picked up significant strength as the center of the storm swirled several dozen miles offshore. The authorities cut off power on those islands before midnight… On Antigua, many residents were spending the night in nearly 40 shelters because of concerns that their homes, even when boarded up, would topple in the destructive winds.
The Washington Post reports that Barbuda recorded 155 mph winds and an 8-foot storm surge.
Barbuda took a direct hit and the weather station there registered a wind gust of 155 mph hour before going offline, while the storm surge on the island — or the swell of water above normally dry land — reached at least 8 feet.
Update, September 6, 7:45 PM: The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda has told reporters that Barbuda is "literally rubble."
"Barbuda is literally rubble," Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda told an interviewer with ABS TV/Radio Antigua.
"The entire housing stock was damaged," Browne said after visiting the island. "It is just a total devastation."
About 1,800 people live on Barbuda, Browne said, adding that there currently is no water or phone service for residents.
He said one fatality, an infant, had been confirmed.
[CNN]
Update, September 7, 9:40 AM: Video from Barbuda shows that intense level of destruction that the hurricane has inflicted on the island.Aerial footage from St. Martin paints a similar picture. Video from St. Barts shows severe flooding on the island.
Wind Speeds Reached 185 MPH, A Tie For The Second-Strongest Atlantic Hurricane On Record
Irma is now tied for second-strongest hurricane in the Atlantic, with winds 5 mph below current record-holder Hurricane Wilma.
As of 2pm ET on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm's sustained winds to 185mph… Such high, sustained winds tie Irma for the second-strongest storm on record in the Atlantic, along with Hurricane Wilma (2005), Hurricane Gilbert (1998), and the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane. Only Hurricane Allen, which reached 190 mph in 1980 before striking a relatively unpopulated area of Texas, reached a higher wind speed. Globally, the all-time record for hurricanes is held by Patricia, which reached a staggering 215 mph in the Pacific Ocean in 2015.
