The eye of Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, grazed the Turks and Caicos Islands, rattling buildings after it smashed a string of Caribbean islands and killed 14 people on its way to Florida.
With winds of around 290 kilometres per hour (km/h), the storm the size of France has ravaged small islands in the northeast Caribbean in recent days, including Barbuda, Saint Martin and the British and US Virgin Islands, ripping down trees and flattening homes and hospitals.
On Thursday, winds dipped to 265km/h as Irma soaked the northern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti and brought hurricane-force winds to the low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands.
Which Areas Have Already Been Hit?
The Turks and Caicos Islands: widespread damage, although extent unclear
Barbuda: the small island is said to be “barely habitable”, with 95% of the buildings damaged. Prime Minister Gaston Browne estimates reconstruction will cost $100m (£80m). One death has been confirmed
St Martin: the island that comprises the French territory of Saint-Martin and the Dutch section Sint-Maarten suffered terrible damage. Five people have been killed
Puerto Rico: more than 6,000 residents of the US territory are in shelters and many more without power. At least three people have died
US Virgin Islands: damage to infrastructure was said to be widespread, with four deaths confirmed
Anguilla: one resident said the island, a British overseas territory, looked as if it had been struck by a nuclear bomb. One person has died
British Virgin Islands: a state of emergency has been declared and fatalities are expected
Haiti and the Dominican Republic: Both battered by the storm, but neither had as much damage as initially feared.
What the US can expect
Irma is due to hit Florida as a category four hurricane on Sunday, bringing storm surges and flooding.
“If you look at the size of this storm, it’s huge,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Thursday. “It’s wider than our entire state and could cause major and life-threatening impacts on both coasts – coast to coast.”
Are there more hurricanes to come?
Another storm, Jose, further out in the Atlantic behind Irma, is a category three hurricane, with winds of up to 195km/h (120mph). Some slight strengthening is possible in the next day or so, according to the NHC.
Hurricane Katia, in the Gulf of Mexico, has strengthened a little but still is a category one storm, with winds of up to 140km/h (85mph). A warning is in effect for the coast of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the storm is expected to make landfall on Saturday.
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