Staring into oblivion: Bahamas and Turks and Caicos brace for impact as Hurricane Irma powers on after laying waste to the Caribbean and killing at least 13 on her deadly path to the US
- 'Monster' Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in the Turks and Caicos islands Thursday evening into early Friday
- The category 5 storm has killed at least 13 so far: Eight on St. Martin, three in Puerto Rico, one in Barbuda and one in Anguilla
- Extensive damage has been reported on Barbuda and St Martin, with more than 90 per cent of buildings damaged on both islands
- Some 900,000 people are without power on Puerto Rico and at least 50,000 people are without water
- The hurricane is expected to continue past eastern Cuba before veering north for Florida at the weekend
- Red Cross said it is preparing for 'a major humanitarian response' as UN estimated 49million will be affected
- Mandatory evacuations were ordered in the Florida Keys and parts of Miami as the scale of the storm emerged
The Turks and Caicos are bracing for impact today as Hurricane Irma powers on after laying waste to the Caribbean and killing at least 13 people on her deadly path to the U.S.
The powerful category five storm is expected to make landfall in the British oversees territory Thursday night, into Friday morning.
Eight people have been killed in the storm so far: Eight on the French/Dutch island of St. Martin, three in Puerto Rico and the islands of Anguilla and Barbuda recorded a death each.
By early Thursday afternoon, the hurricane was north of the Dominican Republic, where authorities reported some flooding and the evacuation of several thousand locals and tourists but no serious damage or casualties.
Skies over the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, were still clear just after noon local time. About a million people were without power in Puerto Rico after Irma sideswiped the island, but the damage was nothing compared to the smaller islands that were first hit by the storm.
More than 90 per cent of all properties on the islands and Barbuda and St Martin were destroyed in the storm, leaving thousands homeless.
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View of wreckage in the vicinity of the Santurce neighborhood in the aftermath of the hurricane Irma, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Thursday
This Wednesday photo shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in St. Martin
Washed up: Cars on the beach in Marigot near the Bay of Nettle on the French Collectivity of St Martin after the hurricane battered the coast last night
Destruction: Dozens of cars were thrown around the hotel car park by the 185mph winds which tore through St Martin
A map shows the projection that Hurricane Irma is expected to take over the next few days
It's still unclear what direction the storm will take as it inches closer to the U.S. Most models show it hitting Florida though
On Barbuda, more than 90 per cent of buildings were damaged when the hurricane's core crossed almost directly over the island early Wednesday - resulting in the death of a child. About 60 per cent of its roughly 1,400 residents were left homeless, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told The Associated Press.
'It is just really a horrendous situation,' Browne said.
He said roads and telecommunications systems were wrecked and recovery would take months, if not years. A two-year-old child was killed as a family tried to escape a damaged home during the storm, Browne said.
In Anguilla, officials reported extensive damage to the airport, hospitals, shelters and schools and said 90 per cent of roads were impassable.
Photos and video of St. Martin circulating on social media showed major damage to the Philipsburg airport and heavy flooding in the coastal village of Marigot.
While the storm passed just north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, the U.S. territory island suffered three deaths in the storm.
More than half the island is still without power as well, leaving more than 900,000 in the dark and 50,000 without water.
Fourteen hospitals on the island have resorted to backup generators thanks to the winds which knocked power lines down.
Puerto Rico's public power company warned before the storm hit that some areas could be left without power from four to six months because its staff has been reduced and its infrastructure weakened by the island's financial crisis.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, allowing federal agencies to step in and provide aid.
Haitian people walk through the wind and rain on a beach, in Cap-Haitien on Thursday as Hurricane Irma approached
An employee from an electrical company works to remove a tree felled by Hurricane Irma, in Sanchez, Dominican Republic, on Thursday
This Wedesday photo shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in St. Martin. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees
Marines of the Dutch Defence of the Armed forces load humanitarian aid for victims of the hurricane Irma on the island of Saint Martin at the Air force base in Eindhoven, the Netherlands on Thursday
Chaos: One home-owner on St Martin had put up boards outside his house to protect the windows but they offered little help
Violent: The winds battered the St. Martin coast, tearing trees from their roots and snapping the weaker vegetation clean in half
Force: The winds, which are as fast as 185mph, were so strong that they upturned cars on the Caribbean island of St Martin
Bird's eye view: This image was taken on a flight above Saint Martin to determine the damage caused to the Caribbean island by Hurricane Irma
Broken palm trees on the beach of the Hotel Mercure in Marigot on Saint Martin after the passage of Hurricane Irma
Chaos on the beach: Some of the damage at Dreams Hotel in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic after hurricane Irma
Holidaymakers return to their rooms after spending the night in the Theatre taking refuge from Hurricane Irma at the Dreams Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Hurricane Irma destroyed 90 percent of the tiny island of Barbuda (above) when it made landfall early on Wednesday. The Caribbean island was reduced to rubble, according to its Prime Minister Gaston Browne
An aerial photo taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, on the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Maarten
Devastation: This was the scene on Saint-Barth after the hurricane hit. French President Emmanuel Macron said he expects that victims and heavy damage will be discovered on the island
This was the bizarre scene along the coast of Saint Martin after roofs were torn off houses and blown off in to the streets
Dramatic pictures have emerged on social media showing the scale of the flooding on the island St Martin in the immediate aftermath of the storm passing
This morning, the United Nations said up to 49 million people are in the hurricane's path as aid agencies prepare for a 'major humanitarian response'. France, the Netherlands and Britain have sent water, emergency rations and rescue teams to their stricken territories.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said 100,000 food rations were sent to St. Barts and St. Martin, the equivalent of four days of supplies.
'It's a tragedy, we'll need to rebuild both islands,' he said. 'Most of the schools have been destroyed.'
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the storm 'caused wide-scale destruction of infrastructure, houses and businesses.'
'There is no power, no gasoline, no running water. Houses are under water, cars are floating through the streets, inhabitants are sitting in the dark, in ruined houses and are cut off from the outside world,' he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said he would go to the islands as soon as the weather permits it. Saying he was 'grief-stricken,' Macron called for concerted efforts to tackle global warming to prevent similar natural disasters.
A Dutch navy ship arrived in St. Martin with vital supplies. And two Dutch military aircraft were being sent the island of Curacao and on to St. Martin to deliver food and water intended to last the population of 40,000 five days. The aircraft were carrying 100 extra troops to deliver aid, repair infrastructure and restore order.
Meanwhile, residents on the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla said the island was 'utterly devastated' and looked as though it had 'suffered nuclear bomb devastation' while shocking videos have emerged showing the scale of the devastation in the British Virgin Islands.
Irma passed to the north of Puerto Rico late on Wednesday night lashing it with heavy rain and powerful winds. Rescue crews are pictured above investigating a flooded car in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Boats piled up as the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Tortola in the British Virgin Islands on Wednesday
Luxury homes and hotels were destroyed, roads submerged in water and sturdy palm trees ripped out of the ground on the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Marteen
Shipping containers were left strewn around a port area at Sint Marteen while homes and hotels were left in ruins
Hurricane Irma has ripped through Caribbean islands on a path towards the US. A second hurricane, Jose, is developing in the Atlantic
Tracking the storm: This model from European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast shows the projected path of Irma. The red shows where it will hit land and cause serious damage
Destruction ahead: This European operational model shows the likely landfall location for Hurricane Irma when it hits Florida
The above graph shows the possible track that Irma will take as it approaches the U.S. and turns northward
The U.K. government says Irma has inflicted 'severe and in places critical' damage to the British overseas territory of Anguilla. Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan says the Caribbean island took the full force of the category 5 hurricane.
He told lawmakers on Thursday that the British Virgin islands have also suffered 'severe damage.' On another British territory, Monsterrat, the damage is 'not as severe as first thought.'
Duncan said the hurricane is expected to hit another British overseas territory, Turks and Caicos, later today.
Britain was sending hundreds of troops and the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean to Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands.
A man walks past damaged buildings and debris in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on the French Collectivity of Saint Martin
Carnage: An iron railing fence was shattered into pieces in St Martin by the hurricane which is the most powerful ever recorder in the Atlantic
Aftermath: A woman walks across a road littered with debris and smashed cars in St Martin outside a battered house
Destroyed: This house in St Martin was so damaged by the winds that the inside looked unrecognizable with furniture scattered around
Path of destruction: This map shows the projected path of the hurricane which will hit the US this weekend
The majority of Barbuda's buildings were flattened when Hurricane Irma battered the tiny island with a population of 1,600 on Wednesday
St Martin also suffered the storm's full fury (above) with roughly 95 percent of properties damaged. At least six people died on the French part of St Martin - a pristine resort known for its vibrant nightlife
The devastating hurricane pulverised the island of Saint Martin, ripping roofs off buildings, flipping cars over and flooding roads
Roads were swamped underwater, buildings left in ruins and cars tossed upside down in Saint Martin by the devastating force of the hurricane
Damage: The storm laid waste to coastal resorts in Saint Martin as it ripped across the island yesterday
Cars were crushed by flying debris and roofs were torn off houses on Saint Martin as the storms hit yesterday
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the hurricane had destroyed about 90 percent of structures and vehicles in Barbuda. A resident is pictured above examining his damaged home in in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
Powerful: This home in St Martin was completely ruined by the hurricane which battered the island last night
Devastation: A picture taken outside this home in St. Martin showed a car upturned on the drive alongside fallen drainpipes
Windswept: A large pile of debris was washed up on the beach in St. Martin by the storm which overturned a boat and destroyed trees
A photo taken on September 6 shows cars piled on top of one another in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle in St Martin
Abandoned: A book lies sodden and torn on a sandy road lined with torn trees and plastic debris after the hurricane hit St. Martin
Uninhabitable: The winds were so violent that they tore down the outside of wooden houses, depositing debris all around. Above, a picture of the devastation in St. Martin
A photo taken on September 6, 2017 shows debris outside the damaged Hotel Mercure in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on St. Martin
Life goes on: People walk through damage on September 7 in a sand-covered street of Marigot in St Martin
Two residents survey the destruction in the wake of hurricane Irma which tore through St Martin on Wednesday night
Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said earlier Thursday that he could not confirm news reports of looting in Saint Maarten, where a curfew is in force in the aftermath of Wednesday's storm.
The ministry says a KDC-10 and a C-130 Hercules are to fly to Curacao from a military air base in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven. The Hercules will then be used to ferry supplies to St. Maarten because it should be able to land at the badly damaged Princess Juliana Airport
The planes will carry enough food and water to supply the 40,000-strong population for five days.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told ABS TV Radio in Antigua that the island was in 'total devastation' and has been reduced to 'literally rubble.'
He added that the island, which is home to 1,800 people, was left 'barely habitable'.
'The entire housing stock was damaged... Some have lost whole roofs. Some properties have been totally demolished,' he said.
STARK BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES REVEAL HOW IRMA LEFT ISLANDS IN RUINS IN A MATTER OF HOURS
These starkly contrasting photos show how 185mph Hurricane Irma laid waste to Caribbean islands in a matter of hours.
Before and after pictures from some of the worst affected islands reveal how airports, luxury hotels, beach front bars and entire marinas have been destroyed by furious winds since the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The images emerged as Irma continued its path of destruction after slamming into Anguilla, Barbuda, Saint-Barthelemy, St Martin and the British Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have also been hit as the UN predicted 49 million people lie in the hurricane's path.
The before and after pictures show the extent of damage on holiday hotspots St Martin, where at least eight are confirmed dead, and the British Virgin Islands where Richard Branson's home was destroyed.
A composite image shows how the Dolphin Discovery attraction on Tortola in the Virgin Islands was ravaged by Irma's force
Before: This was the plush atrium in the 144-room, waterfront Beach Plaza Hotel in St Martin before Irma struck on Wednesday
After: But by Wednesday night the same hotel had been badly damaged with water cascading through its atrium amid 185mph winds
Footage taken during the storm shows waves crashing underneath rooms at the hotel as Irma whipped the coastline of St Martin
Another composite image shows how Irma's power wrecked the popular Honky Tonk bar in Philipsburg St Martin
Before: The luxury Eden Rock hotel on St Barts, owned by the parents of Pippa Middleton's husband James Matthews, is a hotspot for celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez
After: Pictures on social media show how it looks after being ravaged by Hurricane Irma on Wednesday when the storm swept over St Barts
Before: This was the scene at Paraquita Bay as the eye of Hurricane Irma passed Tortola in the British Virgin Islands
Before: Pictures show how the marina was laid to waste as boats were driven onto the shoreline by the force of the storm
Before: The popular Ivan's Stress Free Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands was a hit with tourists and locals alike
After: But by the end of Wednesday, the area had been laid to waste by Hurrican Irma it swept north west over the British Virgin Islands
Before: Princess Juliana airport on the Dutch side of St Martin was famed for its proximity to the beach with tourists gathering to watch planes land just over their heads
After: But this was the scene after it was ravaged by howling winds as Irma crashed into the island on Wednesday
Ruins: A house reduced to rubble on the French administered territory of Saint Barthelemy, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
Raging water: Waves crash against a boat near the shore as Hurricane Irma passes over Samana, Dominican Republic
Damage outside the Mecure hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin in the northeast Caribbean, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
Cars remain outside a destroyed building with debris that was flow on to the ground below by the high winds of Irma in St Martin
'We have estimated the rebuilding efforts to be no less than $150 million. That is conservative, because we're talking about rebuilding everything, all of the institutions, the infrastructure, the telecommunications, the roads... Even the hotels on the island, those are totally demolished, as well. It is terrible.'
Aerial footage of Barbuda after Irma passed through showed a flattened, flooded landscape.
The child who was killed, aged two, was trying to escape a damaged building with its mother at the time.
Irma passed to the north of Puerto Rico just before 10.30pm on Wednesday lashing it with heavy rain and powerful winds.
'The winds that we are experiencing right now are like nothing we have experienced before,' Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello told CNN. 'We expect a lot of damage, perhaps not as much as was seen in Barbuda.'
More than half of Puerto Rico's population of three million was left without power and at least 50,000 were without water, with rivers breaking their banks in the center and north of the island.
Governor Ricardo Rossello had activated the National Guard and opened storm shelters sufficient to house up to 62,000 people. Fourteen hospitals were relying on emergency generators.
Desolation: One of the videos shows a blanket of debris on the island of Tortola. Right: A car left wrecked by the devastating hurricane
Luxury yachts were destroyed and sunk as huge waves battered the coast of St Martin overnight
Wooden structures were obliterated by ferocious winds that battered St Martin on Wednesday
Even shipping containers were thrown around like Lego bricks as the wind battered the coastline of St Martin on Wednesday
Entire communities were laid to waste as the wind levelled homes and businesses in St Martin yesterday
Massive waves continued to crash into the coastline of the Dutch side of St Martin last night in the aftermath of the storm
IRMA'S PATH OF DESTRUCTION: 185MPH HURRICANE'S DEADLY MARCH ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN
Hurricane Irma has killed at least ten people and caused devastation on Caribbean islands as it heads towards the south coast of America.
It first hit land in the early hours of Wednesday morning before heading north west on a deadly path of destruction. These are the islands affected so far:
Antigua and Barbuda
Barbuda was the first land to be hit by 185mph Irma with the storm destroying nearly all buildings on the island and killing a two-year-old child as a family tried to escape.
Officials described 'total carnage' with 95 per cent of Barbuda destroyed by the force of the wind and left 'barely habitable'. A two-year-old child was reportedly killed in the storm.
St Kitts & Nevis
Prime Minister minister Timothy Harris said the island was 'spared the full brunt' of Irma, but warned of 'significant damage' to buildings.
Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy
At least eight were left dead on Saint Martin as the storm wreaks havoc on the two islands.
Speaking on French radio France Info, Gerard Collomb said the death toll in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy could be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands.
Some 95 per cent of St Martin has been destroyed. 'It is an enormous disaster, 95 percent of the island is destroyed, I am in shock,' Daniel Gibbs, chairman of a local council on Saint Martin, told Radio Caribbean International.
Anguilla
The tourist board says the major resorts on the island survived a hit from Hurricane Irma but many private homes have been damaged.
However, Josephine Gumbs-Conner, a lawyer from the British Overseas Territory, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme today: Anguilla is utterly devastated. We are very familiar with hurricanes, but this particular one, Hurricane Irma, was off the charts in terms of strength. It has certain cut a swathe through Anguilla that has left us in absolute pieces.
'Our police service has suffered roof damage, so has our court house, so has our prisons, so has the hospital. Just in terms of essential services alone we are clearly in limping position.
'When you look at our island at the moment you would think that it just suffered nuclear bomb devastation. We are in such a compromised position at the moment.'
Hurricane Irma started hammering Puerto Rico with 185mph winds late on Wednesday as it followed a projected path that would see it hit the northern edges of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Thursday
British Virgin Islands
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over the British Virgin Islands with wind gust of up to 110 mph to the west at Buck Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Significant damage has been reported with critical facilities, homes, businesses and supermarkets destroyed.
Among the people hunkered down was Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Group, whose home on Necker Island was destroyed.
US president Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in the US Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico
At 1 p.m. local time, the storm was centered about 35 miles east of St. Thomas and 105 miles east of San Juan.
Irma blacked out much of Puerto Rico as the dangerous Category 5 storm raked the U.S. territory with heavy wind and rain while staying just out to sea.
Irma is the worst hurricane to hit the island since 1928. Most have been left without power and 50,000 without water.
The storm is expected to close in on Turks and Caicos and south-eastern Bahamas tonight before veering north for Florida.
NOAA Hurricane Hunters flight director Richard Henning told CNN Wednesday night that Irma is 'getting stronger'.
He said hurricane aircrafts were measuring winds over 189 mph at the eye of the storm.
'You really can't over-hype this storm. We haven't really seen a storm like Irma.'
The US National Weather Service said Puerto Rico had not seen a hurricane of Irma's magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida.
'The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we've ever seen,' Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. 'A lot of infrastructure won't be able to withstand this kind of force.'
Waste land: Luxury yachts and power boats were tossed on top of each other as the hurricane blasted through Saint Martin
Locals walk through the ruins of a harbour area on the island of Saint Martin after the hurricane left it in ruins
Fallen trees block a street in Fajardo, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma howled past after thrashing several Caribbean islands
A rescue team from the local emergency management agency inspects flooded areas after Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Wednesday night in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Members of the civil defense run as Hurricane Irma howls past Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon
Even before the storm hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, it churned up winds strong enough to down trees, like the one above
Yanina Lopez took cover at an emergency center as Hurricane Irma approached Puerto Rico in Fajardo on Wednesday
Hotels were flooded and cars submerged as floods hit coastal areas during hurricane-force winds on St Martin overnight
Flooding and strong winds on the island of St Martin in the Caribbean destroyed about 95 per cent of the buildings
This was the scene of devastation on St Martin after fierce winds and flooding destroyed buildings and swamped roads
DELTA AIRLINES PLANE FILES INTO HURRICANE IRMA
A daring Delta Airlines pilot dodged Hurricane Irma to land in Puerto Rico - before dropping off all the passengers and heading back to JFK in just 51 minutes.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled due to the storm, but the crew for Delta flight 431 decided they were up for the challenge.
The plane, in order to get in one last flight to and from the island before the storm hit, flew directly from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then quickly turned around and came back.
Delta had a scheduled flight from New York to San Juan, which was scheduled to leave at 8.05am.
The flight ended up leaving just a few minutes after when it was meant to, and remarkable landed seven minutes earlier than scheduled.
Delta flight 431 had a scheduled flight from New York to San Juan, which was scheduled to leave at 8.05am, and managed to leave just a few minutes late and land seven minutes early
A photo shows Delta Flight 431 as it heads towards Puerto Rico, which looked to be covered in torrential clouds and rain. Though the plane flew directly into the storm, no one was hurt and the plane landed safely
Jason Rabinowitz monitored the flight on Flightradar24 and tweeted updates about the entire journey.
Photos show the tricky path that the plane had to take to avoid the worst bits of turbulence.
In the flight path it's clear that the pilots made a point to weave in between the outer bands of the storm to get to and from San Juan.
Though flight deplaning is a largely long and frustrating process, Delta said that in this case it was a walk in the park.
The crew on this plane was able to get all passengers to the gate, deplaned, boarded for a return flight, and then off the ground in just 51 minutes.
As Rabinowitz pointed out, it was most likely a quick turnaround once it was down on the ground so that the crew could get out of the way of the storm as quickly as possible.
The flight, Delta 303, was the last one out of the San Juan Airport on Wednesday. It landed in New York at 4.22pm, more than 30 minutes early.
People watching Rabinowitz's live-updates shared their nerves for the two flights, and then their relief and how impressed they were with the pilot and crew when both landed.
The plane was then able to get the flight deplaned, boarded, and back in the air in just 51 minutes so they could get everyone back to America quickly and safely
One twitter user jokingly tweeted a photo of Jon Stewart anxiously eating popcorn to describe how watching the play-by-play about the flights made him feel. Another man, Tom Gutting wrote: 'This is seriously one of the most tense, dramatic things I've seen on Twitter. Thanks for documenting. Unreal.'
The intensity of the storm makes the Delta pilot's ability to navigate in the storm and get to and from Puerto Rico safely all the more remarkable.
Patrick Smith, a pilot who runs a blog about planes told the Huffington Post that there isn't much that is subjective regarding winds on the ground and the ability of a flight to land.
'There are maximum tailwind and crosswind limits that have to be observed,' he explained.
'Above and beyond any hard-and-fast limits, you've got powerful gusts, severe turbulence, extreme precipitation or other clearly unstable conditions, no airline is going to sanction flight in those conditions.'
However, a Delta news release assured people that the weather conditions in San Juan were safe enough for the flights.
The release said the flight faced 'nine miles of visibility and light rain,' and that ll rain was 'well below operating limits' for the type of plane that was being flown.
On St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, Laura Strickling spent 12 hours hunkered down with her husband and 1-year-old daughter in a boarded-up basement apartment with no power as the storm raged outside.
They emerged to find the lush island in tatters, with many of their neighbors' homes damaged and the once-dense vegetation largely gone.
'There are no leaves. It is crazy. One of the things we loved about St. Thomas is that it was so green. And it's gone,' said Strickling, who moved to the island with her husband three years ago from Washington, D.C. 'It will take years for this community to get back on its feet.'
Significant effects were also reported on St Martin. Photos and video circulating on social media showed major damage to the airport in Philipsburg and the coastal village of Marigot heavily flooded.
Destruction: A building can be seen with its roof almost completely torn off after the British Virgin Islands was battered by Hurricane Irma
Catastrophe: In Everton Powell's 'traumatic' video, the remnants of houses can be seen lying next to uprooted trees in the streets of Tortola
Uprooted: Trees have been enormously damaged in the monster storm. The above picture appears to show a bar on the island of Jost Van Dyke that has been devastated
The full force of the hurricane was released on the British Virgin Islands
EXCLUSIVE HOTEL OWNED BY PIPPA MIDDLETON'S IN-LAWS LIES IN RUINS
A luxury hotel owned by the parents of Pippa Middleton's husband James Matthews has been left in ruins after being ravaged by Hurricane Irma.
Eden Rock Hotel on St Barthelemy - a hotspot for celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez - was pictured today strewn with rubble after a devastating encounter with the storm, which has left ten people dead.
The shocking photos were taken by Kevin Barrallon and posted online under the caption, 'St Barts after the passage of Irma'.
Eden Rock Hotel on St Barthelemy - a hotspot for celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez - was pictured today in ruins after it was struck by Hurricane Irma
Describing the scene at the hotel, where rooms start at £777 a night and which is pictured before the devastation, one witness wrote on Twitter, 'all that's left is rock'
Eden Rock became one of the Middleton family's favourite holiday spots, with Pippa and James spotted relaxing there on numerous occasions. Pictured is David and James Matthews, left, and James with Pippa Middleton, right
Describing the scene at the hotel, where rooms start at £777 a night, one witness wrote on Twitter, 'all that's left is rock'.
David and Jane Matthews moved to St Barts in September 1995 after purchasing Eden Rock from local adventurer Rémy de Haenen.
It quickly became one of the Middleton family's favourite holiday spots, with Pippa and James spotted relaxing there on numerous occasions.
Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews is also a fan of the resort, and has been seen visiting it with friends and girlfriends.
Hurricane Irma, at category 5, is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic and devastated the hotel, pictured
Made in Chelsea star's Ollie Proudlock and Spencer Matthews at the Eden Rock hotel
Describing the scene at the hotel, where rooms start at £777 a night, one witness wrote on Twitter, 'all that's left is rock'
Hurricane Irma left a trail of deadly devastation through the Caribbean when it struck on Wednesday. Pictured: The scene at Eden Rock
The hotel was the first to be built on St Barts, in 1950.
It quickly pulled in celebrities, and was visited in the 50s and 60s by guests including the Rothschild and Rockefeller families.
Hurricane Irma, at category 5, is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic.
France sent emergency food and water rations there and to the French island of St. Bart's, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity.
In Cuba, a state of alert was declared in several eastern and central provinces, with at-risk residents advised to move in with relatives or reach government shelters.
Haiti's northern coast was on hurricane alert, although in the town of Cap-Haitien residents appeared mostly unaware of the impending storm.
The US National Hurricane Center said Irma's winds would fluctuate, but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as it roared past the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas.
Evacuations from high-risk areas were ordered throughout the path of the storm.
By early Sunday, Irma is expected to hit Florida, where Governor Rick Scott said he planned to activate 7,000 National Guard soldiers by Friday and warned that Irma is 'bigger, faster and stronger' than Hurricane Andrew.
Andrew pummeled south Florida 25 years ago and wiped out entire neighborhoods with ferocious winds.
Huge metal objects were flipped over, buildings were flooded and people were left trapped in buildings as the hurricane struck on St Martin
Brute force: Hurricane Irma has wreaked havoc after pummeling exotic Caribbean islands with 185mph winds on its devastating march towards the US east coast. This was the scene on St Martin on Wednesday
US President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico as well as the US Virgin Islands and Florida where he said the outlook was 'not good.'
Trump spoke by telephone with the governors of all three areas to assure them of the federal government's support. It means that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies can remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the US government.
A mandatory evacuation is under way in the Florida Keys, Miami's coastal zones and the Georgia coast as Hurricane Irma approaches.
SAND LIES HEAPED ON RUNWAY OF WORLD-FAMOUS ST MAARTEN AIRPORT AFTER HURRICANE HITS
This is the scene at the world-famous St Maarten airport after giant waves driven by Hurricane Irma lashed the beach where planes land just over tourists' heads.
Dramatic aerial pictures show sand heaped up at the end of the international Princess Juliana terminal which has been ravaged by the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic.
The storm ripped through the airport on Wednesday, with 185mph winds blowing over safety fences and battering nearby Maho beach.
Dramatic aerial pictures show sand heaped up at the end of the international Princess Juliana terminal which has been ravaged by the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic
This was the scene last night after the hurricane had lashed the airport with ferocious winds
The island's airport was ravaged by the powerful winds with aerial pictures showing how infrastructure had been damaged
Princess Juliana Airport, pictured in the midst of the storm, suspended all operations at the airport on Tuesday as a precaution before Hurricane Irma hit
Video footage shows the moment the storm ripped through Princess Juliana International Airport in St Maarten's, with 185mph winds blowing over safety fences and battering nearby Maho beach
Huge rocks smashed into planes, and boarding walkways were slammed to the ground by the downpour of rain and gusts of wind, which also brought mounds of sand on to the runway.
The storm, which has been dubbed one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a decade, has reportedly killed at least eight people on St Martin so far.
Inside the airport, which lies on the Dutch side of Saint Martin island, the check-in lounge was flooded and walkways were damaged by the storm.
Video from the live Maho Beach camera showed fences being blown over as the storm passed
Pictured is Maho beach in front of Princess Juliana Airport that tourists normally flock to to watch the low-flying planes which is now completely flooded and washed out
Photo shows the wind and rain ripping apart fencing at Princess Juliana on Wednesday afternoon
A photo of inside Princess Juliana airport in St Martin only partially show the extent of the flooding and damage that Irma has done
Parts of the building had broken off during the storm and were seen lying on the runway after the storm passed
Hurricane Irma has caused torn off rooftops and knocked out all electricity across Saint Martin (pictured), as well as on the French island of Saint Barthelemy
Parts of the building broke off during the storm and were seen lying on the runway after the storm passed.
Photos of the damage were documented by a hurricane rescue team, who went in after the storm passed.
Princess Juliana Airport suspended all operations at the airport on Tuesday as a precaution before Hurricane Irma hit.
Tourists have flocked to the beach for years to watch as planes fly shockingly low before landing at Princess Juliana International Airport
When landing at Princess Juliana International Airport, planes fly directly over beach goers at Maho Beach (pictured above)
Experts are worried that Irma could rake the entire Florida east coast from Miami to Jacksonville and then head into Savannah, Georgia, and the Carolinas, striking highly populated and developed areas.
'This could easily be the most costly storm in U.S. history, which is saying a lot considering what just happened two weeks ago,' said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami.
Because of the uncertainty in any forecast this far out, authorities in Miami held off for the time being on ordering any widespread evacuations. The mayor of Miami-Dade County activated the emergency operation center and urged residents to have three days' worth of food and water.
Social media videos show how the hurricane lashed the coastline of Saint Martin overnight with cars submerged in water. This picture is believed to have been taken at the Beach Plaza hotel on the island
The windows of a migrations office are covered with wooden planks due to the imminent arrival of Hurricane Irma in the Dominican Republic, on September 6, 2017 in Santo Doming
Children in a low-income neighborhood carry containers for water as Hurricane Irma slammed across islands in the northern Caribbean on Wednesday, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic September 6, 2017
Members of the Civil Defense make preparations in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as Hurricane Irma slammed across islands in the northern Caribbean, September 6, 2017
Fishermen remove their wooden boat from the sea as a precaution against Hurricane Irma, in the seaside slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Wednesday
People buy groceries at a local supermarket in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as Hurricane Irma takes aim at the Caribbean island
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson bunkered down with staff at his private island in the British Virgin Islands to ride out the storm on Wednesday night. His son revealed on social media that the home had been completely destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
British holidaymakers on Caribbean islands have described barricading themselves into hotels and villas as authorities in other areas order mass evacuations.
Alex Woolfall, who is staying on the island of St Maarten, told how he and other holidaymakers huddled in the concrete stairwell of their hotel as the 'apocalyptic' noise of the winds roared outside.
A handout picture released on September 6, 2017 on the twitter account of RCI Guadeloupe shows damage on the French overseas island of Saint-Martin
Police patrol the area as Hurricane Irma slams across islands in the northern Caribbean on Wednesday, in San Juan, Puerto Rico
This was the scene at Port de Gustavia on the island of Saint Barthelemy overnight as the storm started to lash the coastline
He tweeted: 'Still thunderous sonic boom noises outside & boiling in stairwell. Can feel scream of things being hurled against building.'
Experts said Irma was so powerful it was registering on devices designed to detect earthquakes. Scientists picked up the background noise of winds causing trees to move and crashing ocean waves on their earthquake-detecting seismometers.
In addition to Irma, Tropical Storm Jose has now formed behind it in the open Atlantic and is expected to develop into a hurricane. A third tropical storm - Katia - has also formed in the Gulf of Mexico with winds but is expected to stay offshore until Friday morning.
Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean with record-setting force early Wednesday, shaking homes and flooding buildings on a chain of small islands along a path to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and eventually south Florida.
Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma was moving over water that was 1.8 degrees warmer than normal. The 79 degree water that hurricanes need went about 250 feet deep, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground.
Four other storms have had winds as strong in the overall Atlantic region, but they were in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, which usually have warmer waters. Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005's Wilma, 1988's Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Keys storm all had 185 mph winds.
Eduardo Soriano of Miami, waits in a line since dawn to purchase plywood sheets at a Home Depot store in North Miami, Florida on Wednesday
Motorists wait in line to fill their vehicles with gas as they prepare for Hurricane Irma on Wednesday in Key Largo, Florida. The Florida Keys are currently under mandatory evacuation
In preparation of Hurricane Irma, residents of Boca Raton line up for propane on Wednesday
Miami residents shopping on Wednesday made sure to load their carts with bottled water and other supplies to last through the storm
An employee restocks bottled water on bare shelves as customers look on at a Publix grocery store on Tuesday in Surfside, Florida
Stocking up: Residents purchase water at BJ Wholesale in preparation for Hurricane Irma on Tuesday in Miami, Florida
Jesse Dewey fills sandbags at a public works site as he prepares for Hurricane Irma, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in Casselberry, Florida
Alex, left, and Cynthia Stone, of Maitland, Fla. load plywood on the roof of their vehicle as they prepare for Hurricane Irma, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in Orlando, Florida
SURFER, 16, IS KILLED CATCHING WAVE IN BARBADOS
A promising young professional surfer has died at the age of 16 while catching a wave in Barbados during Hurricane Irma, the World Surf League said.
Zander Venezia, a native of Barbados, reportedly fell off his board and hit a shallow reef at a beach called Box by Box, it said. He and other surfers were riding a swell generated by the Category Five hurricane on Tuesday.
An autopsy revealed that the Olympic surfing hopeful was knocked unconscious by the fall from his board and then drowned.
Speaking to the magazine Surfline, pro-turned-surf instructor Alan Burke said that Zander was knocked over by a 'closeout set' - a wave that closes in from both sides - and 'likely hit bottom'.
Nathan Florence, who was among the group of pro surfers who had flown into Barbados to surf Irma's swell, was the first to get to him and start performing CPR.
Sixteen-year-old surfer Zander Venezia was killed surfing in Barbados during Hurricane Irma on Tuesday (pictured above after winning a surf competition last month)
'Zander was bleeding, and he wasn't moving. They tried to get him to the beach quickly, which was very difficult,' Burke said. 'Box by Box is a tough place to get in and out of, even if you have the ability. There's lots of big rocks around, and some stick out of the water.'
Burke says Venezia's last words were to fellow surfer Dylan Graves, who he spoke to before catching his final fatal wave.
'He told Dylan, 'I just got the best wave of my life!'' Burke said. 'Dylan was the last person to speak to Zander. Then that next closeout set came through.'
Veteran surfer Mark Holder says even he doesn't surf Box by Box during storms.
'That wave only breaks when you have hurricane swells and it breaks in a different direction, so that swell breaks like once in a blue moon. When it is breaking guys go there because it is a beautiful wave, but it is pretty dangerous,' Holder told Barbados TODAY.
He added: 'In my 45 years I have never surfed that break, I surf at Soup Bowl and other places around the island but I never surf that break because it is pretty dangerous. The way the waves are coming in today even at Soup Bowl, you have to be on your 'A' game. You must know what you are doing because out here is not easy. If you are not a professional, today is a day you should sit down and watch.'
Venezia was surfing a beach on the east coast of Barbados, his home country, on Tuesday when he was knocked over by a wave, lost consciousness and then drowned. Pictured above on a different surfing outing
The son of a surfer, Venezia won the Rip Curl Grom Search in the Outer Banks in North Carolina in mid-August, and in April he won the National Scholastic Surfing Association regional championships.
He was expected to represent his home country in the 2020 Olympics, the first Olympics to feature surfing as a sport.
The Barbados newspaper Nation News called Venezia one of the island's most promising junior surfers.
While Barbados wasn't in the eye of Irma's storm, it was left littered with debris on Wednesday after the storm brought high winds and rain to the small island country.
The storm blew the roof off of one home, but the inhabitants of that home were not hurt.
At least 10 people have died in Irma so far.
Hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel of MIT calculates that Irma holds about 7 trillion watts - about twice the energy of all bombs used in World War II.
Floridians seem to be taking hurricane prep seriously.
Stores throughout the state, which has been under a state of emergency since Monday, have already started running out of bottled water and other necessities and gas stations are struggling to keep up with the never ending lines of cars.
Gov. Scott advised his citizens to stock up on what they need but not to go overboard, so that everyone can get the supplies necessary to wait out the storm.
'I'm asking everybody as you get prepared: three days of water per person, three days of food. Take enough, but only take what you need. Don't take more, so we can make sure we take care of all our neighbors,' he said
Several big box stores have activated emergency response protocols, sending truck loads of hurricane preparation items to areas with the greatest need.
TYCOON BRANSON BUNKERS DOWN IN LUXURY HOME
Richard Branson's Necker Island home has been completely destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
The British billionaire retreated to his concrete bunker as the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic directly hit his Caribbean complex on Wednesday. And as of 1pm local time, his home on Necker Island was in directly in the eye of Hurricane Irma and the storm continued to batter the area for several hours.
His son Sam Branson took to Instagram to tell his followers that his father and his staff were safe.
He wrote: 'Glad to say that all humans on Necker are ok. Sad to say that most of the buildings have been destroyed and main house is 'uninhabitable'.
British billionaire Richard Branson enjoys a game of Perudo with staff as Hurricane Irma speeds towards his Necker Island home
'Privilege': Branson said his whole staff slept together in two rooms, but the Virgin boss was happy to weather 'possibly the strongest storm ever' with a 'great group of young people'
'Making me very concerned for our friends and everyone on the neighbouring islands and people in its path. Please don't take this hurricane lightly if it is heading your way. If your building is not very solid, do find somewhere safe! Homes can be rebuilt but lives can't. Nature warning us again of the impact of #climatechange. We must all do more to combat this.'
The billionaire Virgin boss had already announced he wouldn't not leave his home on the British Virgin Islands despite Hurricane Irma - which is the size of France - threatening 'potentially catastrophic' as it lashes the Caribbean with 185mph winds.
Speaking of his experience on Tuesday night, Branson - who is staying with an entire team of staff on the island - said the 'howling wind and rain' battered his home and created an 'eerie but beautiful' atmosphere.
He wrote on his blog on Wednesday: 'We are expecting to get the full force of the hurricane in around five hours' time, when we will retreat to a concrete wine cellar under the Great House.
'Knowing our wonderful team as I do, I suspect there will be little wine left in the cellar when we all emerge.'
He added: 'The strength of this hurricane is unheard of. Everyone is willing the eye of the storm to veer away from the BVI [British Virgin Islands] in these last few hours.
'As I wrote yesterday, our main concern is safety, for everyone here and for all the people in the BVI and in the path of the hurricane. 'All of us slept together in two rooms. I haven't had a sleepover quite like it since I was a kid.'
Branson said: 'On Necker Island we have constructed really strong buildings (with hurricane blinds) that should be able to handle extreme weather pretty well, though with a Category 5 hurricane almost nothing can withstand it'
People put boards on their windows as part of preparations for arrival of Hurricane Irma at the Carribean island
He said that, despite worries about the storm's severity, he considers it a 'privilege' to weather 'possibly the strongest storm ever' with a 'great group of young people'.
He said: 'We were listening to the parrots in their boxes in the next room chattering away. Watching the tortoises congregating together, as if they sense what is coming our way.'
It is unclear what exactly Branson did with the collection of exotic animals Necker Island is home to, but it is believed they are safe.
The island is home to a variety of animals, including more than 80 lemurs, hundreds of flamingos, red foot tortoises, exotic birds and almost extinct Anegada iguanas.
Branson's staff cares for the animals throughout the year, but it is unknown where they took shelter during the storm.
An official from Necker told TMZ, 'The animals are safe', without elaborating.
Branson is not the only notable figure with something to lose in the storm - a host of celebrities could see their homes wrecked by Hurricane Irma as it smashes into the Caribbean.
The businessman also took the opportunity to discuss the need to support the Paris agreement on clean energy. Pictured: Necker Island
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