Hurricane Irma Damage update: Storm damage as Cat 5 hits Puerto Rico
HURRICANE Irma is already affecting Puerto Rico, despite its powerful eye still 90 miles east over the Virgin Islands.
Electricity sparks as Hurricane Irma hits Puerto Rico
Nearly 300,000 people lost power and 4,000 struggled without access to water on Wednesday, according to reports.
Some areas could be without power for four to six months because the infrastructure has already deteriorated as a result of budget cuts.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said: “The danger of this event is like nothing we’ve ever seen.
“A lot of infrastructure won’t be able to withstand this kind of force.”
Hurricane Irma is already affecting Puerto Rico
The storm is churning west towards the Virgin Islands at 16mph.
Hurricane Irma left a trail of "absolute devastation”, destroying houses, snapping trees and killing at least one person as it tore across the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda on Wednesday with 185-mile-per-hour winds.
Prime minister of the two-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, described the island as "barely habitable" after the powerful Category 5 storm struck early on Wednesday.
Some areas could be without power for four to six months
He said the storm had caused estimated damage of some $150 (£115) million.
Aerial footage of the island after Irma had passed through showed a desolate, flooded island with overturned vehicles and scattered debris.
A second hurricane named Jose is forecast to become a major storm and pass close to Antigua and Barbuda on Saturday.
The storm is heading west toward the Virgin Islands
At least six people have been killed across the Caribbean.
Irma is projected to reach Florida by Sunday and although the storm is not expected to reach land, it is going to make a major impact across the state, including Jacksonville and the First Coast.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is urging people who can evacuate to do so.