The hurricane season is now well and truly upon us, and 2017 is already the worst in recent history. The state of Texas was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey at the end of August, and now Hurricane Irma is set to cause chaos in the Caribbean and Florida.
The category five storm, which is the most powerful Atlantic storm in history, hit land on Thursday morning and caused unprecedented devastation in its wake. These shocking photographs of the Caribbean islands show the damage it caused in a matter of hours.
1. With wind speeds of 185 mph, Hurricane Irma left little of this resort behind…
2. The Waterfront Beach Plaza Hotel in St Martin is now unrecognizable…
3. The Honky-Tonk Bar didn’t stand a chance…
4. This popular celebrity hotel has been left a ruin…
Tragically, Hurricane Irma has already claimed the lives of ten people when it swept through the Caribbean islands, and this number will inevitably increase. Why? Because it’s more than likely that Hurricane Irma will become stronger.
As was the case with Hurricane Harvey, global warming is making hurricanes worse. The warm weather in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean is likely to increase the tropical storm’s severity by the time it hits Florida.
5. These boats were completely thrown around in the storm…
6. It will take years to repair the damage already caused…
7. Princess Juliana airport in St Martin was obliterated…
8. This stretch of land is now submerged…
“[There is] no way to sugarcoat it,” Anthony Sagliani, a Meteorological Operations manager, wrote on Twitter. “Irma is the type of tropical cyclone that wipes everything, including all vegetation, clean from small islands.”
To put the strength of Hurricane Irma in context, it is so powerful that it is registering on seismographs, which are usually used to detect earthquakes and not tropical storms. That is why Florida is doing everything it can to prepare itself for Hurricane Irma.
9. In short, all of St Martin is now completely unrecognizable…
10. The sea has reclaimed this island…
11. It’s hard to believe how quickly this damage was caused…
Hurricane Irma is expected to hit US mainland this weekend. Areas that are expected to be hit harshly such as Miami Beach are being evacuated. Anyone living in the areas expected to be worst hit is encouraged to follow governmental advice.
“We can rebuild your home, but we cannot rebuild your life,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott.
We wish all the best to those affected by Hurricane Irma.
