Hurricane Irma: 180mph winds batter Caribbean as death roll rises – latest news

Number of people killed in Caribbean climbs in the wake of the stormCategory five hurricane rakes towards Dominican Republic and HaitiWhere is Irma heading? Mapping the path of destruction‘Cars flew over our heads’: survivors recount the havoc 6.25pm BST 6.08pm BSTThe Miami station of the National Weather Station has issued a dire warning for the potential effects of the storm on southern Florida, in particular tornado-force winds and huge storm surges.The main window of concern for hurricane Irma, impacts is early Saturday morning through Monday. Additional concerns exist for flooding rains, isolated tornadoes, significant beach erosion and surf, coastal flooding, and life-threatening rip currents.Wind: prepare for life-threatening wind having possible devastating impacts across south Florida. Potential impacts include:Surge: prepare for life-threatening surge having possible devastating impacts across coastal Collier, mainland Monroe, coastal Miami-Dade counties, including Biscayne Bay. 5.56pm BSTDonald Trump has said he believes the United States is ready for hurricane Irma, telling reporters, “we think we are as well prepare as we could possibly be.”Yet he still admitted uncertainty about what will actually happening, as he did on Wednesday, by saying Irma “looks like it could be something that will be not good, believe me, not good.” 5.47pm BSTFrench officials have cast doubt on the number of fatalities on the territory of St Martin, saying they have confirmed four deaths but not the eight reported by local officials previously. The AFP reports: French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Thursday that four people were confirmed dead on the Caribbean island of St Martin ravaged by Hurricane Irma.Local rescue officials and Interior Minister Gerard Collomb had previously said the death toll stood at eight. 5.22pm BSTOn its current course, hurricane Irma is predicted to pass directly over, or quite close to, the British territories of Turk and Caicos on Thursday night, followed by a brush with the southern islands of the Bahamas and Cuba’s northern coast.On Friday night, the hurricane is expected to land at or pass near the archipelago of the Florida Keys, an area ordered evacuated by the state’s governor, Rick Scott. 5.12pm BSTFuel has become such a scarcity in south Florida, and such a priority for governor Rick Scott, that police are escorting tankers and managing gas station service. Scott said he wanted to avoid the lapses of hurricane Andrew: enough fuel to evacuate, to supply power during the storm, and to speed up the recovery in its aftermath.How important is gas in South #Florida ahead of #HurricaneIrma?Tankers are getting escorts by law enforcement. @WPTV pic.twitter.com/6D98e3bA36Troopers are directing traffic again at the West Palm Beach Service Plaza as drivers rush to get gas @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/1Wb9HnHhB6 4.53pm BSTThe National Weather Service branch of the Florida Keys have warned in the most severe terms that everyone should leave the archipelago, saying in a midday advisory that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 48 hours.From the advisory: 4.41pm BSTFlorida governor Rick Scott has activated 3,000 members of the state national guard, with plans to activate the entire state force – 7,000 people in all – on Friday. “We are expecting our state to have major impacts from Hurricane Irma and we are taking aggressive actions to make sure Florida is prepared,” Scott said in a statement. “These men and women are putting themselves in harm’s way to save the lives of their fellow Floridians while many of their own families are evacuating. I am proud of their commitment to keeping our families safe.”UPDATE: We have run out of sandbags at 79 ST & Collins Avenue. If you are still in need, go to 5 ST & Ocean Dr. #HurricaneIrma 4.36pm BSTHurricane Irma killed three people as it battered Puerto Rico, with a 79-year-old woman, a younger woman, and a man among the fatalities. In a statement, governor Ricardo Rossello said that the elderly woman, who needed assistance moving, died after a fall en route to a shelter. A younger woman died in Camuy, on the north-west coast of the island, from electrocution in her home, and a man died from a traffic accident in Canóvanas, in the north-east. 4.23pm BSTFor the first time in seven years, there are currently three active hurricanes in the Atlantic: 11:00 AM AST Advisory/Advertencia #9: Hurricane/Huracán José. #prwx #usviwx pic.twitter.com/Fi075N8vO4 4.10pm BSTMore than a million people in Puerto Rico still lack power, the AP reports, accounting for about 70% of the territory’s Electric Power Authority. There are about 3.4 million people on the island.Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rossello said Thursday that crews are investigating and until they know the extent of the damage, “it will be difficult to estimate how long the power outage will last.”Rossello added that ports on the island are still closed, and it’s unclear when commercial flights will resume. Schools and government offices are scheduled to reopen on Monday. 4.00pm BSTThe major counties of south Florida – Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Colliers – have been declared under a hurricane watch by state officials. Irma is currently maintaining winds of about 175mph, well above the 74mph minimum for hurricane winds, and officials fear five to 10ft storm surges for southern coastal parts of the peninsula. 11 AM Thursday #Irma update. Winds down to 175 mph. Still headed WNW at 16 mph. Forecast remains for FL impacts Sunday. #WESHwx pic.twitter.com/ajNQaIDvGDMonroe County officials say @FLGovScott gave out wrong number for Florida Emergency Hotline. Correct one is 800-342-3557. 3.43pm BSTShipping containers and boats piled up like toys, city blocks leveled, and buildings stripped of whole faces are just a few of the images published online by the Dutch ministry of defense from a helicopter flyby. The extent of damage, injuries, and possible deaths remains unknown from Dutch St Maarten; at least eight people were killed on the French side of the territory. 3.32pm BSTThe son of British billionaire Richard Branson, Sam, has posted several videos and photographs of the British Virgin Islands on his Instagram page. The images show buildings with their roofs torn from their walls, rebar and debris everywhere, and boats tossed into heaps.In a text post, Branson said there remains no power in Virgin Gorda, that some bays are flooded, 80% of Cane Garden Bay “destroyed” on the island of Tortola, and that winds and debris remain dangerous. 3.22pm BSTAirports in the Bahamas are closing as Hurricane Irma nears the islands, the AP reports, while evacuations continue from southern islands closest to the storm’s projected path.The government says the international airport in Nassau will close late Thursday and it urges people who plan to leave the island chain east of Florida to check with airlines for space. Grand Bahama’s airport and the less-populated island throughout the chain will close by noon Friday. 3.13pm BSTThe south Florida counties currently in Irma’s projected course have each provided services for shelters, evacuation, and supply information. 2.57pm BST“If you’re in an evacuation area, do not wait to get out,” Scott says. “We can’t save you after the storm starts.”The governor tells families they should “be aggressive” in steps to protect their families. “This is not a storm you can sit and wait through.”At my direction, @MyFDOT has waived all tolls across Florida roadways. This should help families evacuate quickly and safely. 2.51pm BSTFlorida governor Rick Scott has delivered a press conference to update residents about what the state is doing and what Floridians can do to protect themselves.Miami Dade county, the most populated in the state, should expect “deadly storm surge and life threatening winds”, Scott says. “We can expect this along the entire east coast,” he continues, with landfall in the Florida Keys as early as Friday night.We can expect additional evacuations as this storm continues to near our state. 2.37pm BSTIn south Florida, gas stations have run out of fuel, stores of water, and hardware stores of plywood. Authorities are scrambling to dole out sandbags and other supplies to shore up homes, while people in coastal stretches are fleeing inland or north. Governor Rick Scott is due to give a press conference within minutes.In Broward, one sky ahead, another behind pic.twitter.com/5QSERbvnva 2.26pm BSTHello and welcome to Thursday’s coverage of Hurricane Irma. Here’s a round-up of the latest news: Continue reading...