Caribbean braces for monster hurricane
Irma strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category Five hurricane yesterday, meteorologists warned, sparking alarm and flooding alerts as it barrelled towards the Caribbean.
The monster hurricane coming on the heels of Harvey, which struck Texas and Louisiana late last month is expected to make landfall along the string of French islands including Guadeloupe late yesterday before heading to Haiti and Florida.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center in its 1200 GMT bulletin said Irma had strengthened to the most powerful Category Five, packing winds of 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour.
The front was moving west at 14 miles (22 kilometers) per hour, and is expected to drop between four and eight inches (10 and 20 centimeters) of rain when it hits land.
"These rainfall amounts may cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the NHC warned.
Irma's centre was located about 320 miles (515 km) east of the West Indies' Leeward Islands, the NHC said, urging that "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion" in the region.
The governor of the US state of Florida, Rick Scott, declared a state of emergency, saying Irma posed "a severe threat to the entire state of Florida", barely a week after Harvey claimed at least 42 lives.
Category Five hurricanes are rare and are capable of inflicting life-threatening winds, storm surges and rainfall.
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