PICTURES: HURRICANE IRMA RIPS THROUGH CARIBBEAN

Posted 9-7-17

Magicseaweed

The most powerful Atlantic storm in recorded history has ripped through a number of northeast Caribbean islands, leaving 8 people dead in its wake.

Today, images are emerging from the ravaged isle of Barbuda, one of the first places to be struck by Hurricane Irma. Prime Minister of Barbuda, Gaston Browne, says that 95 per cent of the island’s buildings have been completely leveled. It has been confirmed that a 2-year-old infant on Barbuda has died in the storm. Irma then wreaked havoc on St Maarten and St Barts, leaving at least 7 people dead.

The Category 5 hurricane is roughly the size of Texas, bringing with it winds of up to 180mph. Irma passed directly over Barbuda yesterday and has left the 1,800 residents largely without a means of communication after it knocked over telecoms towers.

This morning, Irma’s eye is just north of the Puerto Rican coast and is battering the island with heavy rain and intense winds, leaving more than 900,000 people without power.

On St Maarten’s, the Princess Juliana International Airport has been completely destroyed. The airport was well known for planes flying low over the heads of beach-goers.

Yesterday, a NOAA plane flew through the eye of Hurricane Irma. You can see the footage below.

Irma is currently set for the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands. The UN has estimated around 37 million people could be impacted by the hurricane. States of emergency have been declared in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Florida – where it is feared Irma will directly hit Miami.

Space station cameras have captured footage of Irma and the below footage puts into perspective the hurricane’s size. This video was recorded yesterday as Irma made landfall in the Caribbean.

Keep up to date with Hurricane Irma’s track and forecast intensity, HERE.

Cover image: NOAA

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