Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic storm recorded this year, ravaged the Caribbean islands early Wednesday. Prior to the hurricane's arrival, residents of the tiny islands of Barbuda and St. Martin prepared for possible catastrophic damage due to Irma's strong winds and meters-high storm surge.
According to CNN, Hurricane Irma bore down on Barbuda, part of the Leeward Islands, on Sept. 6. Barbuda is not only the only place in the Atlantic that will be affected by Irma, as more Caribbean islands, as well as the United States, are expected to experience the brunt of the hurricane in the coming days.
Hurricane Irma underwent an explosive bout of intensification early Tuesday, strengthening from a Category 4 to a 185-mph Category 5 monster in just a matter of hours. The U.S. National Hurricane Center declared that Hurricane Irma's incredible power now holds a new record as the strongest storm to ever march in the open Atlantic waters, CBS News reported.
Only four other hurricanes match the current intensity of Irma, although these storms occurred in other portions of North America. Hurricane Allen in 1980 attained a maximum wind speed of 190 mph, while Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and the infamous 1935 great Florida Key storm are tied with 185 mph winds. The most intense Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Wilma, intensified to 190 mph during the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.
After its landfall in Barbuda, Hurricane Irma is expected to track towards another tiny island in the Caribbean, St. Martin. The Category 5 hurricane will possibly march towards Puerto Rico, Cuba and Florida.
This prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to raise emergency situations in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all part of U.S. territory, NBC News reported.
In the Florida Keys, mandatory evacuations already started early Wednesday in preparation for the possible onslaught of Hurricane Irma later this week. Some schools in South Florida already declared class suspensions. Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County residents, particularly those who are living in low-lying areas, are advised to take extra precaution as Irma is expected to hit the area with monstrous coastal surges and damaging winds this weekend.
