'It is just total devastation': Category 5 Hurricane Irma destroys 90 per cent of tiny island of Barbuda as 185mph winds kill four across the Caribbean and dump torrential rain on US territories
Hurricane Irma brought 185-mph winds and heavy rain to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico early Wednesday afternoon
- A child has been reported dead in Barbuda, while three others were killed in St. Barts, St. Martin and Anguilla
- Hurricane destroyed about 90 percent of Barbuda's structures and vehicles, according to its Prime Minister
- Irma hit several islands in the northeastern Caribbean when it made landfall early on Wednesday
- The four 'most solid' buildings on the island to St. Martin have been destroyed
- The Red Cross said it is preparing for 'a major humanitarian response' after 'extremely worrying' forecasts
- While Irma's end game is still unclear, it appears on track to hit south Florida on Sunday
- Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Monday for all 67 counties in the state
By Julian Robinson for MailOnline
Published: 13:16 BST, 6 September 2017 | Updated: 04:05 BST, 7 September 2017
Hurricane Irma has destroyed 90 percent of the tiny island of Barbuda after 185 mph winds battered the Caribbean on Wednesday, killing at least four people.
The deadly category 5 storm - the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic - made its first landfall early Wednesday morning, pummeling Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and sparking a 'major humanitarian crisis'.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the hurricane had completely destroyed about 90 percent of the island's homes and vehicles.
'The entire housing stock was damaged... Some have lost whole roofs. Some properties have been totally demolished,' Browne said in an interview with ABS TV Radio in Antigua.
'It is just a total devastation. Barbuda is literally rubble,' he added, saying the island that is home to a population of 1,800 was 'barely habitable'.
'We have estimated the rebuilding efforts to be no less than $150 million. That is conservative, because we're talking about rebuilding everything, all of the institutions, the infrastructure, the telecommunications, the roads... Even the hotels on the island, those are totally demolished, as well.
It is terrible.'
Aerial footage of the island after Irma passed through showed a desolate, flooded landscape shorn of trees and foliage with overturned vehicles and scattered debris.
A two-year-old child was killed in Barbuda while trying to escape a damaged building with its mother. Two were killed when the hurricane struck St. Barts and St. Martin, while another death was reported in Anguilla.
In other parts of the Caribbean, buildings have also been destroyed, roads flooded and people left trapped after the 'monster' storm, which is estimated to be the size of France.
Heavy rain and howling winds from the hurricane raked the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, St Barts and St Martin, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or public shelters.
French officials said St Barts and St Martin (about 40 per cent of which is Dutch territory) have been 'battered extremely violently' with even sturdy government buildings destroyed. Emergency food and water rations are being sent to the islands.
By early Wednesday afternoon the center of the storm was 20 miles east-southeast of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and 90 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico and heading west-northwest at 16 mph.
NOAA Hurricane Hunters flight director Richard Henning told CNN Wednesday night that Irma is 'getting stronger'.
He said hurricane aircrafts were measuring winds over 189 mph at the eye of the storm.
'You really can't over-hype this storm. We haven't really seen a storm like Irma.'
The US National Weather Service said Puerto Rico had not seen a hurricane of Irma's magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida.
'The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we've ever seen,' Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. 'A lot of infrastructure won't be able to withstand this kind of force.'
Puerto Rico's public power company has cut back on staff and maintenance amid a deep economic crisis and the agency's director warned that some areas could be without power from four to six months because the infrastructure has already deteriorated so badly. Power outages were reported in some neighborhoods well ahead of the storm.
The federal government has stepped in, with President Donald Trump this week approving an emergency declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. That means that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies can remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the U.S. government.
State maintenance worker Juan Tosado said he was without power for three months after Hurricane Hugo killed dozens of people in Puerto Rico in 1989.
'I expect the same from this storm,' he said. 'It's going to be bad.'
Trump declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate the residents of six islands at the southern end of the island chain. A mandatory evacuation is under way in the Florida Keys, and is expected to expand at the storm gets nearer.
The president said the hurricane looks like 'something that could be not good.'
Ahead of a meeting with Congressional leaders, Trump said the group had a lot to discuss, including what 'seems to be record-breaking hurricane heading right toward Florida and Puerto Rico and other places.'
Trump said 'we'll see what happens.' He added: 'it looks like it could be something that could be not good, believe me not good.'
Meanwhile, billionaire Sir Richard Branson is currently hunkering down with staff at his private island in the British Virgin Islands.
Experts say Irma is now so powerful it is registering on devices designed to detect earthquakes.
Scientists picked up the background noise of winds causing trees to move and crashing ocean waves on their earthquake-detecting seismometers.
In addition to Irma, Tropical Storm Jose has now formed behind it in the open Atlantic and is expected to develop into a hurricane. A third tropical storm - Katia - has also formed in the Gulf of Mexico with winds but is expected to stay offshore until Friday morning.
Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean with record-setting force early Wednesday, shaking homes and flooding buildings on a chain of small islands along a path to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and eventually south Florida.
Irma passed almost directly over the island of Barbuda, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The Red Cross this morning said it is preparing for 'a major humanitarian response'.
'The forecast as it stands right now is extremely worrying,' said Walter Cotte, the agency's Regional Director for the Americas. 'We are anticipating major impacts on a number of islands, and we are preparing to respond to needs that may arise.
'One of the main challenges is going to be logistical, given the isolation of some the islands. We need to ensure a reliable channel for relief efforts in the aftermath of the hurricane.'
France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity.
The regional authority for Guadeloupe and neighboring islands said the fire station in Saint Barthelemy was flooded by more than 3 feet (1 meter) of water and no rescue vehicles could move.
The government headquarters on Saint Martin was partially destroyed.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but the minister for overseas territories, Annick Girardin, said: 'We have a lot to fear for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn't want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites... We're preparing for the worst.'
Dutch authorities are trying to gauge the extent of damage in Sint Maarten from Hurricane Irma, but officials say it appears to be significant.
St Maarten is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and shares an island with the French territory of St. Martin. The island is east of Puerto Rico.
Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk says the damage wreaked on the Caribbean island of St Maarten by Category 5 Hurricane Irma is 'enormous.'
Dutch Caribbean coast guard spokesman Roderick Gouverneur says coast guard officials in Curacao have lost communication with their base in Sint Maarten.
Plasterk told reporters in The Hague on Wednesday that the damage caused by Irma's direct hit on the island 'is so major that we don't yet have a full picture, also because contact is difficult at the moment.'
About 100 troops are on the island helping local authorities assess damage and repair vital infrastructure in the storm's aftermath. Two navy ships are also steaming to the island to offer help.
Dutch Navy spokeswoman Karen Loos says that some troops were able to send images of destruction from St. Maarten and another island, St. Eustatius.
'You do see there is a lot of damage. Trees, houses, roofs that are blown out. A lot of water, high water,' Loos said.
As the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 2 a.m., phone lines went down under heavy rain and howling winds that sent debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters.
The storm ripped the roof off the island's police station, forcing officers to seek refuge in the fire station and at the community center that served as an official shelter. The Category 5 storm also knocked out communication between islands.
Britain is sending a Royal Navy ship to the region struck by Hurricane Irma to provide humanitarian assistance and is also sending aid experts to the region.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said Wednesday the ship will carry Royal Marines and Army engineers along with water purification equipment and other support items.
'The thoughts of the British people are with those affected by Hurricane Irma and Britain has already taken swift action to respond,' she said.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma's winds would fluctuate, but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as it roared past Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas.
Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma was moving over water that was 1.8 degrees warmer than normal. The 79 degree water that hurricanes need went about 250 feet deep, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground.
Four other storms have had winds as strong in the overall Atlantic region, but they were in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, which usually have warmer waters. Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005's Wilma, 1988's Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Keys storm all had 185 mph winds.
The northern Leeward Islands were expected to see normal tide levels rise by as much as 11 feet, while the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas could see surge of 20 feet and higher waves later in the week, forecasters said.
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said his government was evacuating six islands in the south because authorities would not be able to help anyone caught in the 'potentially catastrophic' wind, flooding and storm surge. People there would be flown to Nassau in what he called the largest storm evacuation in the country's history.
'The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life or serious physical harm,' Minnis said.
The eye of the storm is expected to rip westward on a path taking it a little north of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba.
The northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti could see 10 inches of rain, with as much as 20 inches in the southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
British holidaymakers on Caribbean islands have described barricading themselves into hotels and villas as authorities in other areas order mass evacuations.
Alex Woolfall, who is staying on the island of St Maarten, told how he and other holidaymakers huddled in the concrete stairwell of their hotel as the 'apocalyptic' noise of the winds roared outside.
He tweeted: 'Still thunderous sonic boom noises outside & boiling in stairwell. Can feel scream of things being hurled against building.'
Also Wednesday morning, a new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's coast.
Tropical Storm Katia had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph with some strengthening forecast over the next two days. But the hurricane center said Katia was expected to stay offshore through Friday morning.
And another tropical storm farther east in the Atlantic was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night. Tropical Storm Jose's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 60 mph.
The storm was centered about 1,255 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west near 13 mph.
Experts say Irma's strength is a result of unusually warm water for that part of the Atlantic.
The center said there was a growing possibility that the storm's effects could be felt in Florida later this week and over the weekend, though it was still too early to be sure of its future track: 'Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place.'
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says Hurricane Irma is already shaping up to be a stronger storm than Hurricane Andrew, the most destructive tropical storm to ever hit the state.
Scott appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to issue a stern warning to his citizens - prepare for the worst and evacuate if you're ordered to.
'Let's all remember, we can rebuild your home, but we can't rebuild your life,' Scott said.
Scott said that Floridians should be prepared for a hurricane like they haven't seen before.
'We've got wind, we've got rain, and we've got storm surge. This is a massive storm. Water could cover your house. We want everybody to cover their house. This is bigger than Andrew, ' Scott said, referencing the 1992 storm that caused $26.5billion in damage to the state.
'And it sure looks like it's going to bare right down the middle of the state of Florida,' Scott added.
In a noon press conference, Scott said it was important that every Floridian prepare for the storm, since its course is still uncertain.
'It's important not to focus on the exact path of the storm. A storm of this size could have an effect state wide and everybody should be prepared. I know it shifted east in the last forecast but we all have to understand that this is serious and we can't take chances. It's is life-threatening. This is not a storm you can sit and wait through,' he said.
He added: 'Every Floridian should take this seriously and be aggressive to protect their families.'
National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini says Hurricane Irma is so record-breaking strong it's impossible to hype.
Uccellini said Wednesday he's concerned about Florida up the east coast to North Carolina, starting with the Florida Keys.
He warns that 'all the hazards associated with this storm' are going to be dangerous.
Hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel of MIT calculates that Irma holds about 7 trillion watts - about twice the energy of all bombs used in World War II.
Floridians seem to be taking hurricane prep seriously. Stores throughout the state, which has been under a state of emergency since Monday, have already started running out of bottled water and other necessities and gas stations are struggling to keep up with the never ending lines of cars.
Scott advised his citizens to stock up on what they need but not to go overboard, so that everyone can get the supplies necessary to wait out the storm.
'I'm asking everybody as you get prepared: three days of water per person, three days of food. Take enough, but only take what you need. Don't take more, so we can make sure we take care of all our neighbors,' he said.
Scott has also activated an additional 900 members of the Florida National Guard to prepare for Hurricane Irma.
Scott called up the additional guard members on Wednesday, a day after he had activated an initial 100 members. During a stop in the Florida Keys, Scott said that he still plans to another 6,000 National Guard members report to duty on Friday.
At a press conference Wednesday morning, Scott said that they are going to start the evacuations starting with the Keys, and move north depending on where the storm turns.
He also said that gas and more supplies are on the way, after stores and service stations across the state started reporting shortages.
Several big box stores have activated emergency response protocols, sending truck loads of hurricane preparation items to areas with the greatest need.
