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Hurricane Irma is so record-breakingly strong it is impossible to hype and holds about twice the energy of all the bombs used in World War II, experts have said.
Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service, said he was concerned about Florida up the east coast to North Carolina, starting with the Florida Keys.
He warned "all the hazards associated with this storm" are going to be dangerous.
Hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel of MIT calculated Irma holds about 7 trillion watts - twice the energy of all the bombs used in World War II.
So far, the storm has killed at least eight people and left 23 injured on French island territories, France's interior minister has said.
"This is not, by far, a definitive number... we have not explored all the parts of the island," Guadeloupe prefect Eric Maire said, adding the death toll was likely to rise in the next few hours.
Show all 45 1 /45Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Recently planted palm trees lie strewn across the road as Hurricane Irma passes by in Miami Beach, Fla. 10 September 2017.
AP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Damage outside the Mercure hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin
AFP/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures People pick up debris in Fajardo as Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands
Reuters/Alvin Baez
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Large waves produced by Hurricane Irma crash into the end of Anglins Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The category 4 hurricane made landfall in the United States in the Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m. after raking across the north coast of Cuba. 10 September 2017
Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A Royal Air Force Puma has been delivered to the US Virgin Islands to assist with the humanitarian efforts post Hurricane Irma. The Puma will be delivering Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief in support of the Department for International Development. Royal Air Force logisticians from RAF Brize Norton have assisted with the delivery of military personnel and aid cargo to the Caribbean to support disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Irma. RAF aircraft including, C-17 A400M and Voyager are supporting a Joint Task Force of RAF, Royal Marines, Army and RN personnel who are supporting the Department for International Development as it delivers aid to stricken Caribbean Islands.
MoD
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, 9 September 2017 in Miami. Though most animals will reman in their secure structures, the cheetahs and some birds will ride out the storm in temporary housing.
AP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Boats are seen at a marina in South Beach as Hurricane Irma arrives at south Florida, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. 10 September 2017
Reuters
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Storm clouds are seen over Fisher Island as Hurricane Irma approaches on 9 September 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4
Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Waves crash over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as Hurricane Irma passes by. 10 September 2017
AP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Some of the damage on Saint Martin
EPA/Gerben Van Es/Dutch Department of Defence
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures The skyline is seen as the outerbands of Hurricane Irma start to reach Florida on 9 September 2017 in Miami, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4.
Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A tree toped by hurricane Irma is seen on a empty street in Remedios, Cuba, 9 September 2017. Hurricane Irma reached Cuba bringing winds between 160 and 190 kilometers per hour. The hurricane has hit the north coast of the island.
EPA
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures James Constantineau loads sands bags in his truck as he prepares for the approach of Hurricane Irma Saturday, 9 September 2017, in East Palatka, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott is urging anyone living in an evacuation zone in southwest Florida to leave by noon as the threat of Hurricane Irma has shifted west.
AP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures The Fort Louis Marina in Marigot is seen on 8 September 2017 in Saint-Martin island, devastated by Hurricane Irma.
AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Destruction in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin
AFP/Getty
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures The wreckage in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin
AFP/Getty
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures View of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin
Reuters
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A mobile network tower snapped in two by the hurricane on the island of Barbuda
ABS TV
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A house reduced to rubble on the island of Saint Barthelemy
AFP/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures General view of damage on Saint Martin
Reuters
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A damaged Casino Royale on Saint Martin after the passage of Hurricane Irma
Anna Mazur/AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures An aerial photograph taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, the Dutch section of the Caribbean Island
Gerben Van Es/AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Flooded houses in Gustavia on the island of Saint-Barthelemy
Kevin Barrallon/AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures The damage on the island of Saint-Martin, a day after Hurricane Irma hit
AFP/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A man carrying an umbrella is battered by the wind in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Reuters/Alvin Baez
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A lone police car on patrol during the passing of Hurricane Irma in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Haitian people walk through the wind and rain on a beach in Cap-Haitien on September 7 as Hurricane Irma approaches
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A flooded street on the island of Saint Martin
AFP/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A tree collapsed on a house in Saint Martin
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A hotel in Saint Martin is gutted by floodwater during the hurricane
Guadeloupe 1ère
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Cars submerged in Saint Martin
Rinsy Xieng
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Debris floats amongst the floodwater in Saint Martin
@la1ere
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Household items float down the street in Gustavia, Saint-Barthélemy
Carole Greaux
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures The coast of Saint Martin is flooded as the hurricane hits the island
Météo Express
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A whole street underwater in Saint Martin
@la1ere
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A car crashes into the tree amongst the chaos in Saint Martin
@Bondtehond
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A building on the Saint Martin seafront, destroyed by the hurricane
@Bondtehond
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A mobile home overturned at Princess Juliana International Airport in Saint Martin
@Bondtehond
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Palm trees bend in the wind in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma slammed across islands in the northern Caribbean
Reuters/Alvin Baez
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A woman runs in the rain as Hurricane Irma slammed into San Juan, Puerto Rico
Reuters/Alvin Baez
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A picture taken on September 5, 2017 shows a view of the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, with the wind blowing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures A man rides past a boarded up house as part of preparations ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma on September 5, 2017, in the French overseas island of Guadeloupe
Helene Valenzuela/AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Employees of the Mercure Hotel fill sand bags on the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, as part of the preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Irma
Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures People in line at Costco, as they find out the store has ran out of water on September 5, 2017 in North Miami
Michele Eve Sandberg/AFP
Hurricane Irma – devastation caused in pictures Night view of the city of Cap-Haitien, in the north of Haiti, 240 km from Port-au-Prince, on September 5, 2017
Hector Retamal/AFP
Hurricane Irma had previously been described as a "potentially catastrophic" storm placed in Category 5, the highest US classification for hurricanes.
The storm blacked out much of Puerto Rico as it raked the US territory with heavy wind and rain while staying just out to sea, as it headed toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
To the east, authorities struggled to get aid to small Caribbean islands devastated by the storm's record 185mph (298kph) winds, while people in Florida rushed to get ready for a possible direct hit on the Miami area.
Nearly every building on Barbuda was damaged when the hurricane's core crossed almost directly over the island early Wednesday and about 60 percent of its roughly 1,400 residents were left homeless, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the US government.
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