Screen grab, aerial view of Barbuda after Irma strike via ABS Television/Radio.
Stormy weather
by Tom Sullivan
Screen grab, aerial view of Barbuda after Irma strike via ABS Television/Radio.
The eye of Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record, damaged or destroyed 95 percent of the French portion of the island of St. Martin according to one local official -- "an enormous catastrophe." The island of Barbuda has been reduced to "literally rubble," reports Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Nearly one million are without power on Puerto Rico, which was spared a direct hit.
With 180 mph winds, Irma has been described as an EF4 tornado 45 miles wide. Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned that Category 5 Irma is "bigger, faster and stronger" than Hurricane Andrew. Officials ordered a tourist evacuation of the Keys on Wednesday and the governor will instruct residents to leave today, reports the Miami Herald:
On Wednesday morning, a caravan of cars and trucks — many towing boats — headed north out of the low-lying Keys. Traffic backed up south of Upper Matecumbe but wasn’t much worse than the usual workday rush or weekend crush. An estimated 12,000 visitors left the Keys. And even some old-time conchs who rode threats out in the past admitted they were rattled.Officials are hoping for a more orderly evacuation than occurred during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 which created gridlock. Irma is expected to make landfall in South Florida on Sunday.
“I don’t think it’ll be safe anywhere,” said Melissa Norman, who was packing up belongings at her mobile home in Key Largo’s Blackwater Sound. She’s heading to Fort Myers, where she has an aunt.
Here are the current conditions & forecast for #HurricaneIrma. Updates continue all morning long on @weatherchannel. pic.twitter.com/CTvb3IO3vv
— AMHQ (@AMHQ) September 7, 2017
By Monday night into Tuesday, Georgia and the Carolinas may get a visit from Irma.
Not looking forward to the visit.
Speaking of unpredictable forces of nature, the president shived his own party yesterday by striking a deal with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi on a short-term
extension of the debt limit:
Democratic congressional leaders announced Wednesday that they had reached a deal with President Trump in an Oval Office meeting to pass hurricane relief funding this week, along with measures to push off pressing fiscal deadlines to December — over the apparent objections of Republican leaders.Meaning, if this comes off, Republicans will be looking at another debt limit vote ahead of the 2018 mid-terms, something they'd hoped to avoid. The move by the president left Republicans "shell shocked."