Hurricane Irma pummels Florida; ‘This one scares me’
The 400-mile-wide (640-kilometer-wide) storm blew ashore in the morning in the mostly cleared-out
"Pray, pray for everybody in
Irma struck as a Category 4 but by late afternoon had weakened to a Category 2 with 110 mph (177 kph) winds that whipped
There were no immediate confirmed reports of any deaths in
Many streets were flooded in downtown
A
An apparent tornado spun off by Irma destroyed six mobile homes in
In downtown
Curfews were imposed in
More than 2.7 million homes and businesses across the state lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone.
While the projected track showed Irma raking the state's
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.
Irma made landfall just after
Hurricane-force winds extended 80 miles (129 kilometers) from its center.
Meteorologist
The
The wind began picking up in
"I've been here with other storms, other hurricanes. But this one scares me,"
Forecasters said a weakened Irma could push into
"Once this system passes through, it's going to be a race to save lives and sustain lives,"
With
President
For days, forecasters had warned that Irma was taking dead aim at the
But then Irma made a more pronounced westward shift — the result of what meteorologists said was an atmospheric tug-of-war between weather systems that nudged Irma and determined when it made its crucial right turn into
Irma at one time was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the open
The storm brought memories of Hurricane Charley, which blew ashore near
HURRICANE NEWSLETTER — Get the best of the AP's all-formats reporting on Irma and Harvey in your inbox: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb
The Latest: Fast storm surge in Naples as Irma accelerates
Hurricane Irma damage: 4 tips for dealing with insurance claims
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News