Millions of people huddled in shelters or battened-down homes in Florida on Sunday morning as Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, hit the state with 130-mph (210 kph) winds and catastrophically high seas.
The National Hurricane Center forecast potentially deadly storm surges - water driven ashore by the winds - of up to 15 feet (4.6 m) along some parts of the coast. As the northern edge of the storm reached the Florida Keys archipelago off the tip of southern Florida, lashing rains and winds knocked out power to nearly 600,000 homes and businesses on the mainland, according to utilities.
"Pray for us," Florida Governor Rick Scott said in an ABC News interview as his state braced for the massive storm, which has already left a trail of destruction through the Caribbean.
Irma, which prompted one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history, is expected to cause billions of dollars in damage to the third-most-populous U.S. state, a major tourism hub, with an economy comprising about 5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product.
Irma was a Category 4 hurricane raging in the lower Florida Keys as of 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), on a path that will take it up Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast near population centres including Tampa and St. Petersburg, the NHC reported. Forecasters also warned tornadoes could form in large portions of the state.
Irma, which killed at least 22 people as it tore through Caribbean islands towards Florida, has already claimed at least one life in the state. Emergency responders in the Florida Keys said they pulled a man's body from his pickup truck, which had crashed into a tree in high winds.
STORM BABY
One woman in Miami's Little Haiti neighbourhood delivered her own baby, with medical personnel coaching her on the phone because emergency responders were not able to reach her, the city of Miami said on Twitter. The two are now at the hospital, it said.
Ahead of the storm, officials in Florida had ordered a total of 6.3 million people, or about a third of the state's population, to evacuate.
But some state residents planned to ride out the storm in their homes. Midway up the state's Gulf Coast in Clearwater, Sarah Griffin said she planned to hunker down in a closet in her boarded-up concrete house.
"You've just got to have plenty of beer, Captain Morgan, vodka, (and) you'll get through," said Griffin, 52.
The NHC has put out a hurricane warning and a tropical storm warning stretching through almost all of Florida into Georgia and South Carolina, home to more than 20 million people.
Irma comes just days after Hurricane Harvey dumped record-setting rain in Texas, causing unprecedented flooding, killing at least 60 people and leaving an estimated $180 billion in property damage in its wake. Almost three months remain in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November.
Reuters
Sun Sep 10 2017
![Brace for impact - Packing 130 mph winds, Irma hits Florida Brace for impact - Packing 130 mph winds, Irma hits Florida](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2017-09/71505052004_MiamiBeachFlorida.jpg)
Heavy wind is seen along Ocean Drive in South Beach as Hurricane Irma arrives at south Florida, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., September 10, 2017. REUTERS
AWANI Borneo [16/07/2024] – SUKMA 2024 | Sentiasa berwaspada | Pintu sempadan
AWANI Borneo Selasa, 16 Julai 2024 bersama Fauzi Zin.
- SUKMA 2024 : Nasib acara takraw wanita diketahui Khamis ini.
- Ribut petir diramal di Sabah, Bomba saran penduduk berhati-hati.
- Urusan imigresen di sempadan, Malaysia-Brunei adakan rundingan.
- SUKMA 2024 : Nasib acara takraw wanita diketahui Khamis ini.
- Ribut petir diramal di Sabah, Bomba saran penduduk berhati-hati.
- Urusan imigresen di sempadan, Malaysia-Brunei adakan rundingan.
![Hukuman penjara bapa lakukan serangan seksual ke atas 3 anak perempuan dikurangkan Hukuman penjara bapa lakukan serangan seksual ke atas 3 anak perempuan dikurangkan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/51714453013_courtgavelmahkam.jpg)
Hukuman penjara bapa lakukan serangan seksual ke atas 3 anak perempuan dikurangkan
Dalam penghakimannya, Che Mohd Ruzima berkata perayu gagal membuktikan bahawa Mahkamah Sesyen terkhilaf dalam memutuskan kes itu.
Malaysia-Brunei adakan rundingan mudahkan urusan Imigresen
Malaysia dan Brunei akan mengadakan rundingan bagi memudahkan proses keluar masuk rakyat kedua-dua negara.
![Pan-gon mahu kekal hubungan baik dengan Malaysia Pan-gon mahu kekal hubungan baik dengan Malaysia](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721124936_KimPanGon.jpg)
Pan-gon mahu kekal hubungan baik dengan Malaysia
Bekas ketua jurulatih Harimau Malaya Kim Pan-gon mahu mengekalkan hubungan baik dengan skuad itu biarpun tidak lagi bersama.
Kos pampasan tanah fasa 1B proses Projek LPB Sabah RM1.2 bilion - Alexander
Anggaran kos pengambilan balik tanah bagi keseluruhan Fasa 1B proses pengambilan tanah dan penilaian pampasan tanah bagi Projek Lebuh Raya Pan Borneo Sabah (LPB Sabah) berjumlah RM1.2 bilion.
Sentiasa berhati-hati, ribut petir diramal berlaku di Sabah
Orang ramai khususnya yang tinggal di kawasan berisiko di Sabah disaran agar bersiap siaga terutama dari segi perubahan cuaca yang tidak menentu yang seterusnya akan mengakibatkan bencana banjir dan pokok tumbang.
Nasib acara sepak takraw wanita diketahui Khamis ini
Nasib acara sepak takraw wanita berpasukan dalam Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) edisi ke-21 di Sarawak akan ditentukan dalam Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa SUKMA Peringkat Kebangsaan pada Khamis ini.
JPBM Sabah serah jentera khas buat pasukan sukarela
Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM) negeri Sabah sedang dalam perancangan untuk menyerahkan jentera khas, iaitu Volunter Fire Rescue Tender (VFRT) untuk Pasukan Bomba Sukarela (PBS) di Sabah.
Sarawak akan pertahan pingat sukan Muay Thai edisi lalu
Skuad Sarawak akan berusaha mempertahankan masing-masing dua emas, perak dan gangsa dalam kejohanan SUKMA yang dimenangi dalam edisi lalu.
![Usaha pujuk Pan-gon tidak berhasil - Yusoff Mahadi Usaha pujuk Pan-gon tidak berhasil - Yusoff Mahadi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721124841_TBFAM.jpg)
Usaha pujuk Pan-gon tidak berhasil - Yusoff Mahadi
FAM pernah berusaha memujuk Kim Pan-gon untuk terus mengemudi skuad Harimau Malaya hingga kontraknya tamat secara rasmi pada akhir tahun depan.
!['Nasib baik bukan 'baby boy'' - Raja Ilya teruja umum jantina bayi! 'Nasib baik bukan 'baby boy'' - Raja Ilya teruja umum jantina bayi!](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-04/41649130899_NasibBaikBukanBa.jpg)
'Nasib baik bukan 'baby boy'' - Raja Ilya teruja umum jantina bayi!
Tahniah Raja Ilya dan suami!
![Astro perkenal dua saluran baharu bagi pek hiburan kanak-kanak Astro perkenal dua saluran baharu bagi pek hiburan kanak-kanak](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2020-12/41607697245_kidspack.jpg)
Astro perkenal dua saluran baharu bagi pek hiburan kanak-kanak
Bermula 15 Disember ini, Pek Kanak-kanak (Kids Pack) akan diberikan nafas baharu khas untuk kanak-kanak di Malaysia dengan kemunculan dua saluran hiburan baharu, serta 10,000 episod On Demand.
![Kawasan rumah, tandas lokasi paling kerap kes buang bayi Kawasan rumah, tandas lokasi paling kerap kes buang bayi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2016-11/81480222249_BabyGeneric.jpg)
Kawasan rumah, tandas lokasi paling kerap kes buang bayi
Kes pembuangan bayi di kawasan rumah adalah 266 kes, diikuti dalam tandas sebanyak 108 kes.
![Siti Sairah selamat lahirkan bayi perempuan Siti Sairah selamat lahirkan bayi perempuan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-12/41544693039_SITI.jpg)
Siti Sairah selamat lahirkan bayi perempuan
Adik penyanyi Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Siti Sairah Tarudin selamat melahirkan seorang bayi perempuan pada Rabu.
![Khloe Kardashian dedah nama anak Khloe Kardashian dedah nama anak](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2017-12/51513855903_khloekardashian.jpg)
Khloe Kardashian dedah nama anak
Khloe Kardashian nampaknya meneruskan tradisi keluarganya dengan memilih nama lain daripada yang lain untuk anak perempuannya.
![Baby Haqq pergi jua...... Baby Haqq pergi jua......](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-04/81523265953_BabyHaq.jpg)
Baby Haqq pergi jua......
Baby Haqq telah menghembuskan nafas terakhir di Unit Rawatan Rapi, Hospital Kuala Lumpur kira -kira jam 10.15 pagi tadi.
![#BabyCTDK: Siti Nurhaliza turun 14 kilogram selepas bersalin #BabyCTDK: Siti Nurhaliza turun 14 kilogram selepas bersalin](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-04/51522816725_SitiNurhaliza.jpg)
#BabyCTDK: Siti Nurhaliza turun 14 kilogram selepas bersalin
Penyanyi nombor satu negara, Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza mendedahkan berat badannya sudah turun 14 kilogram selepas melahirkan puteri sulungnya, Siti Aafiyah.
![Pengakhirannya saya mungkin berada di ICU, keperitan dikongsi Nora Danish Pengakhirannya saya mungkin berada di ICU, keperitan dikongsi Nora Danish](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-02/71519273794_NoraDanish.jpg)
Pengakhirannya saya mungkin berada di ICU, keperitan dikongsi Nora Danish
DI sebalik ribuan ucapan tahniah yang diterima dan wajah comel baby NeyNey, ada kisah yang terpaksa dilalui oleh Nora Danish sehingga dia terpaksa bersalin lebih awal dari tarikh jangkaan sebenar.
![Me mimpi me pregnant - Umie Aida Me mimpi me pregnant - Umie Aida](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-02/71518674421_umie-khai-header.jpg)
"Me mimpi me pregnant" - Umie Aida
Biarpun sekadar mimpi, pelakon Umie Aida berkongsi perasaan gembira dianugerahkan nikmat berbadan dua.
![Isteri pertama Ashraf Muslim selamat lahir bayi lelaki Isteri pertama Ashraf Muslim selamat lahir bayi lelaki](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://www.astrogempak.com.my/Portals/2/0. artis tempatan/Ashraf muslim/ashraf dayana anak pertama.jpg)
Isteri pertama Ashraf Muslim selamat lahir bayi lelaki
Isteri pertama pelakon Ashraf Muslim, Noor Dayana Lokman selamat melahirkan cahaya mata pertamanya pada petang Khamis.