The Bahamas

Hurricane Irma hurtled toward Cuba and the Bahamas on Friday after leaving a trail of devastation in the Caribbean, while an anxious South Florida and Miami prepared for what could be a major hit by the weekend. Bahamas'' | #IRMA Irma, downgraded to a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph, slammed the Turks and Caicos early Friday before its powerful core headed between northern Cuba and central Bahamas. At least 18 people were killed this week as Irma pummeled northern Caribbean islands such as Barbuda and the Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands of people -- nearly 70% of the US territory's utility customers -- were left without power, the governor's office said. Hurricane Irma: Live updates Hurricane Irma forecast track Irma is expected be near South Florida by Saturday night or early Sunday as at least a Category 4 hurricane, and residents there have begun a mass exodus. Some counties are under evacuation orders, but "all Floridians should be prepared to evacuate soon," Gov. Rick Scott said Friday. "Today is the day to do the right thing for your family. Get inland for safety," Scott said at a news conference. Bluebeard's Castle, a resort in St. Thomas, was hit hard by I LIVE NOW : Best VIDEO of ''Hurricane Irma'' '' Providenciale'','' turks and caicos Islands''| #IRM cnn live, cnn live stream, florida, hurricane, hurricane irma florida path, hurricane irma live, hurricane irma live footage, hurricane irma track, hurricane irma videos, irma, live footage hurricane irma, live now : hurricane irma, storm, weather, hurricane irma, hurricane irma tracking, live ''Hurricane Irma' turks and caicos Islands'' Hurricane Irma is currently "pummeling" Turks and Caicos with powerful winds, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest advisory. The record Category 5 storm, which skirted north of the Dominican Republic early Thursday as the powerful Category 5 storm, has set its sights on south Florida after leaving a trail of death and destruction in the Caribbean. At least 13 people have been killed. Irma, dubbed the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade, had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph on Thursday afternoon as it moved further away from the northern coast of Puerto Rico and over the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The wind speeds had dropped slightly from the day before, by about 10 mph. "Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days," the National Hurricane Center said in its advisory. As of 8 p.m. ET, Irma was about 55 miles west-southwest of Grand Turk Island, the capital of Turks and Caicos, moving at 16 mph as it raced toward the tiny tropical archipelago southeast of the Bahamas, where the storm is expected to hit Thursday night. Much of Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas could get 8 to 12 inches of rain, with up to 20 inches in isolated spots through Saturday. A storm surge could bring water levels up to 20 feet above ground in Turks and Caicos. A storm surge could also reach 5 feet on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic where Irma swept by on its way to Turks and Caicos. Millions of children in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are at risk, according to Save the Children organization. “Deadly storms have a bias against children. Storms often leave a lasting impact on young minds. Relief efforts should prioritize children – their needs, their emotional well-being,” Unni Krishnan, director of Save the Children's emergency health unit, said in a statement Thursday. The National Hurricane Center projects Irma will be near the central Bahamas by Friday and then make landfall in south Florida, near Miami, on Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing high winds, abundant rainfall and potentially dangerous storm surge. The latest track has the storm shifted slightly to the west, which puts the worse side of the storm over the east coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who declared a statewide emergency earlier this week, has warned that the "massive storm" could be more treacherous than Hurricane Andrew, which devastated the Sunshine State 25 years ago. "I want everybody to understand the importance of this. This is bigger than Andrew," Scott said Wednesday in an interview from Tallahassee with ABC News' "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts. "This could be worse." PHOTO: SLIDESHOW: Photos: Hurricane Irma threatens Floridamore + At a press conference Thursday, Scott said Irma could bring "life threatening" damage to Florida and he urged residents on the state's east and wes #IRMA, cnn live, florida, hurricane, hurricane irma florida path, hurricane irma live, hurricane irma live footage, hurricane irma track, hurricane irma videos, irma, live footage hurricane irma, live now : hurricane irma, weather, hurricane irma, hurricane irma tracking, live

• published: 08 Sep 2017
• views: 29719