Hurricane Irma gives Florida a coast-to-coast pummeling
The 400-mile-wide (640-kilometer-wide) storm blew ashore in the mostly cleared-out
Irma was expected to reach the heavily populated
"Pray, pray for everybody in
There were no immediate confirmed reports of any deaths in
In the low-lying Keys, where a storm surge of over 10 feet (3 meters) was recorded, appliances and furniture were seen floating away, and
The county administrator,
A
Many streets were flooded in downtown
In downtown
An apparent tornado spun off by Irma destroyed six mobile homes in
Curfews were imposed in
More than 3.3 million homes and businesses across the state lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone.
While Irma raked
Nearly 7 million people in the Southeast were warned to evacuate, including 6.4 million in
About 30,000 people heeded orders to leave the Keys as the storm closed in, but an untold number refused, in part because to many storm-hardened residents, staying behind in the face of danger is a point of pride.
"Small boats floating down the street next to furniture and refrigerators. Very noisy," he said by text message. "Shingles are coming off."
Irma made landfall just after
Forecasters warned some places could see a storm surge of up to 15 feet (5 meters) of water.
"I said let's go and live the good life in paradise," she said. "And here we are."
Some 400 miles (640 kilometers) north of the Keys, people in the
"I've been here with other storms, other hurricanes. But this one scares me,"
Along the
After leaving
President
"Once this system passes through, it's going to be a race to save lives and sustain lives,"
Irma at one time was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the open
For days, forecasters had warned that Irma was taking dead aim at the
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