CATEGORY 5, HURRICANE IRMA
The French government, minister for interior, Gerard Collomb, has said that “most solid buildings” on the St Martin Island have been destroyed as the Hurricane Irma makes landfall. Serious flooding and building damage is reported from most badly affected islands. Irma is on track to hit the Eastern Caribbean and Puerto Rico today but the final path so far is quite uncertain. Cuba, Bahamas northern Leeward Islands and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and southern USA are under threat. According to Collomb, “we know that the four most solid buildings on the island have been destroyed which means that most rustic structures have been probably been completely or partially destroyed”
Irma. Is already in the record books as a Category 5 with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, and easily ranks amongst the most powerful in recorded history. The sustained winds of up to 185 mph for over 24 hour period is a record length of time.
Wednesday it hit the island of Barbuda, an inhabitation of 1600 people, it’s damaged it so much that there is no communication, the extent of damage to the life, property and infrastructure though not exactly known is believed to be extensive. Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda has told the reporters that it has totally destroyed 90% at least. So far one death on the island is confirmed.
French government has confirmed extensive power outage and widespread flooding on the islands of St Barthelme and St Martin. The seismologists in the USA have termed it as the most powerful in the recorded Atlantic Ocean history. The National Hurricane Centre has warned of potentially catastrophic effects.
The president Trump assured that his administration was keeping a close vigil on the happenings and his team was all set and ready for action as and when it Irma hits the US shores, the most likely landfall site would be Florida and sometimes over this weekend. This assessment of the situation has prompted the US states of Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and Southern Carolina to declare state of emergency. Evacuations have been ordered and relief operations have been alerted. The size, magnitude and momentum is likely to cause dangerous weather patterns in the areas that are some 200 miles within the radius of the eyewall.
It appears that the Mother Nature isn’t too kind on the US as in only one month’s time of the Hurricane Harvey, which battered Texas, USA is forced to brace for a much bigger catastrophe. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott repair costs in his state could top $ 180bn, the president for immediate relief has requested Congress to sanction $ 7.9bn. The president tweeted that his team was watching Hurricane closely and his team that did such good job in Texas is all set and ready in Florida. “No rest for the weary”
Some skeptics are of the view that Irma is not as bad and devastating as authorities in US have sounded, one picture of Barbuda, viral on social media has shown rooftop of a non-flattened house with a tree branch at the top. Doubters believe that French government minister’s definition of solid structure should be replaced with resistant. As apparent strength of the structure is misleading.
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