Hurricane Irma has battered the Caribbean island of St Martin and the Turks and Caicos Islands, claiming more than 14 lives as it continues its deadly 175mph journey through the region. It has also left more than half of Puerto Rico’s population without electricity, as it carves a path that is expected to wind through to the Florida Keys this weekend.

 

The good news is that the loss of life on Puerto Rico is said to be much less than some experts had predicted, while both the Dominican Republic and Haiti also escaped the worst of the storm. However, potential flood warnings still remain in place for both locations.

 

Long-term term rebuilding programmes will also be required on St Martin where Princess Juliana International Airport has been badly damaged and is currently said to be inaccesible, while some resort companies on the island are already reported to be making plans to cancel all further bookings for the rest of this year.

 

As reported, the small territories of St. Barthélemy, Barbuda and Anguilla have already been very badly hit with more than 50% of residents left homeless and/or cut off without communications, water, or power.

 

These and other islands in the region are also bracing themselves for a second major 137mph storm (Category 3 rather than Category 5) in the form of Hurricane Jose, which is due to hit the same territories at the weekend.

 

IRMA: ‘POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC…’

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has already warned US residents to take as many precautions as they possibly can, releasing the following statement yesterday: “Irma is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane and will continue to bring life-threatening wind, storm surge and rainfall hazards to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas through Saturday.

 

“Heavy rainfall is still possible across portions of Hispaniola through Friday. Hurricane conditions will also spread over portions of the north coast of Cuba, especially over the adjacent Cuban Keys through Saturday.

 

“Severe hurricane conditions are expected over portions of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys beginning late Saturday. Irma could make landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane and bring life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts to much of the state.”

 

The NHC adds that there is also ‘a chance of direct impacts’ in portions of Georgia, South and North Carolina, but adds that ‘it is too early to specify the magnitude and location of these impacts’.

 

FLORIDA GOVERNOR ISSUES WARNINGS

Florida Governor Rick Scott has also appealed to residents to be prepared to evacuate their homes, while multiple ‘hurricane and storm watches’ are in place at all levels and the 4,000-strong ‘Florida Army’ and National Guard have both been ‘activated’ in preparation for the impact. [Much of the Florida Keys area is now said to have been evacuated by residents-Ed].

 

 

The Florida National Guard is also coordinating with the National Guard Bureau to identify approximately 30,000 troops, 4,000 trucks, 100 helicopters, and air evacuation crews that are standing by for Hurricane Irma support – if needed.

 

Predictably, travellers in the region have also been adversely impacted, with some cruises cut short as passengers are dropped back into Miami early as ships seek shelter from potential storm damage. Some cruiselines have also transferred passengers to other ships that are heading right away from the storm area.

 

MAYOR CRITICAL OF SOME CRUISELINES

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has already levelled stern criticism at some cruiselines bringing passengers back to Miami ahead of the storm’s expected arrival – especially considering these vessels are clearly heading away from the danger themselves once their passengers disembark.

 

These significant additional ‘drop offs’ have placed considerable extra pressure on flights out of Miami Airport in particular, since very few passengers expected they would need to book flights after their cruises ended.

 

A notice on Miami International Airport’s website says: “We continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Irma. Before coming to the airport please confirm that your flight is still operating. Many flights have been cancelled.”

 

In a statement dated September 6, MIA added: “The Federal Aviation Administration does not close its control tower at MIA until sustained winds (not gusts) reach 55 miles per hour, at which point planes cannot take off or land.

 

“However, many airlines decide to not fly well before that point and sometimes on a case-by-case basis, so passengers should stay in close contact with their individual airline about their flight status and make arrangements before coming to the airport.”