Hurricane Irma swept through Florida with its unforgiving winds last Sunday, Sept. 9. As previously feared, the predictions of Hurricane Irma's strength and potential destructive force has been manifesting in its wake.
CBS reported that Hurricane Irma has continued to push through with its northern path with destructive winds, which caused massive power outages and "snapping massive construction cranes over the Miami skyline." The direction at which Hurricane Irma is moving will persist northwards of the Florida peninsula. It will last until Monday morning. The storm was a massive one, with an estimated width that stretched for about 400 miles.
When it hit the Florida Keys, the storm slowly made its way through the middle of Florida on Sunday night, Sept. 9 towards the region of Tampa, which is a very disaster prone area for storms. Fortunately, the New York Times reported that Tampa's residents were able to prepare accordingly for the devastation that would occur. With expected winds of about 100 miles per hour, residents were advised to prepare for the worst by Tampa's Mayor, Bob Buckhorn.
There was also fear of storm surges due to Hurricane Irma's intensity. However, due to the storm's rotation, the National Weather Service in Tampa has predicted that the winds will eventually push the water back towards the bay's body of water. Along with the strong gusts of wind, Hurricane Irma also brought with it strong rains. According to Independent, Hurricane Irma has already claimed the lives of at least 24 people in the Caribbean.
The estimated cost of Hurricane Irma's destruction is predicted to reach billions in dollars. There are even reports that manatees have been found stranded in the storm's wake. A team of search and rescue specialists is scheduled to fly in on Sept. 10 to help anyone in the Dutch territory, which is one of the most affected areas, since 70 percent of the damaged homes are located there.
