'We just don't know how many are dead': 10,000 people who stayed in Florida Keys to brave Hurricane Irma 'now have no water, food or power' amid fears of a 'humanitarian crisis' - but deadly storm is now downgraded to Category One
Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it hammered the Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds Monday
Irma had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after making landfall for the second time in Marco Island
The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes with substantial flooding
Five deaths reported in Florida so far but officials admit they do not have a definitive number of fatalities yet
The storm has toppled cranes, swallowed streets, ripped up trees and left nearly 4.5 million without power
Six million people had been told to leave their homes in mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders
More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast
The storm has already claimed at least 25 lives across the Caribbean since it took hold earlier in the week
President Donald Trump said US may have been a 'little bit lucky' after Irma veered from its original course
By Emily Crane and James Wilkinson For Dailymail.com
PUBLISHED: 12:44 BST, 10 September 2017 | UPDATED: 19:29 BST, 11 September 2017
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Rescuers have admitted they do not know how many people in Florida have been killed by Hurricane Irma amid fears of a looming 'humanitarian crisis'.
Up to 10,000 people are believed to have stayed in their Florida Keys homes during the storm and now have no water, food or power, officials have warned.
It comes as it emerged Irma has left nearly 4.5million people without electricity and five dead as the destructive storm hammered the state with strong winds and threats of devastating storm surges.
Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it pummeled the vulnerable Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds early this morning. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will cross Monday into southwest Georgia, where a hurricane warning was in effect for a large rural area including the cities of Albany and Valdosta.
The deadly storm had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after coming ashore for the second time in Marco Island. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes.
The death toll jumped to five today with reports a person had been found dead in a home in Florida Keys.
But this morning, Florida Director of Emergency Management Bryan Koon said he could not confirm or deny reports of multiple deaths or extensive damage admitting: 'I don't have any numbers on fatalities at this point.'
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Hurricane Irma has hammered Fort Myers (above) on the west coast of Florida with 110 mph winds after making landfall for the second time
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Areas of Naples (above) are now suffering substantial flooding and swathes of the west coast are under 15ft storm surge warnings. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes
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Hurricane Irma left nearly 4.5million people without power after the deadly storm battered Florida. This was the scene as the storm lashed the coastline
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People tend to a car that flipped over on Cape Coral Parkway during Hurricane Irma last night in Cape Coral
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Traffic lights were left swinging in Tampa as 100mph winds brought on by Irma tore through the area on its march north
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Koon said about 10,000 people stayed in the Keys to ride out the storm but communications had been cut off.
He said it was likely they did not have power or water and that there would have been 'fairly significant impact to homes'.
'It is obvious we need to get in there, assess the damage and figure out what we need to do for helping those folks,' he said.
More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast.
Forecasters expect Irma to weaken further into a tropical storm over far northern Florida or southern Georgia on Monday as it speeds up its forward motion. The hurricane center says the storm is still life-threatening with dangerous storm surge, wind and heavy rains.
Irma has so far claimed five lives in Florida, including two law enforcement officials involved in a car crash yesterday. Hardee County Sheriff's deputy and mother-of-one Julie Bridges and Hardee Correctional Institute sergeant Joseph Ossman crashed and died around 60 miles from Saratosa.
The storm toppled cranes, swallowed streets and left millions without power as it unleashed its terrifying fury after wreaking a trail of death and destruction through the Caribbean.
Six million people were ordered to flee the path of the hurricane before it first made landfall in Florida Keys.
Handfuls of holdout residents, having defied calls to evacuate, hunkered down as Irma tore over the Keys, ripping boats from their moorings, flattening palm trees and downing power lines across the island chain popular for fishing and scuba diving. The Keys is now the subject of a huge airborne relief mission.
The county administrator in the Florida Keys says crews were due to begin house to house searches this morning, looking, for people who need help and assessing damage from Hurricane Irma.
Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi says relief will arrive on a C-130 military plane at the Key West International Airport.
Once it's light out, they'll check on survivors. They suspect they may find fatalities. Gastesi says they are 'prepared for the worst.'
While southwest Florida bore the deadly brunt of Irma's wrath yesterday, the coastlines of Miami and the neighboring island of Miami Beach were heavily inundated by storm surges as hurricane winds sent two giant construction cranes crashing down. A third construction crane toppled at a project on Fort Lauderdale beach.
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This was the scene as Hurricane Irma brought strong winds when it struck Fort Myers (pictured above) yesterday
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Dozens of trees were uprooted and power cables brought down in Fort Myers when strong winds tore through the city
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Water levels rose rapidly in Naples (above) from Hurricane Irma's storm surge with a reported a seven foot rise of water in just 90 minutes. The storm kept its top sustained wind speed of 110 mph yesterday
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A person walks through a street lined with debris and fallen trees as Hurricane Irma passes through Naples
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A house in Naples was submerged in water as flooding hit the city in the wake of fierce winds during Hurricane Irma
Irma moves through Fort Meyers on the way up Florida's coast
This morning, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn says that while the city hasn't escaped Hurricane Irma's wrath, the situation isn't as bad as they had feared.
Speaking Monday morning on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' Buckhorn said 'What we thought was going to be a punch in the face was a glancing blow.'
Buckhorn did say there are a lot of downed power lines and debris.
He said Tampa's officials have vehicles positioned 'to be sure that when that surge comes in we can keep people out of the streets.'
He said he expected power to be out for some sections of Tampa for at least a couple more days.
Meanwhile, Miami International Airport has announced it will be closed today and there has been no confirmation flights will resume on Tuesday.
Orlando International Airport closed Saturday and won't reopen to passenger traffic until after Irma has passed, a damage assessment has been completed, necessary recovery efforts made and the airlines are consulted to determine when best to resume operations.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport says on its website it has no timetable yet to reopen. Its last flights were Friday. Tampa International Airport also is closed as Hurricane Irma moves up the Florida peninsula.
Airlines are preparing their recovery schedules, which may take several days to execute.
President Donald Trump said last night that the US may have gotten a 'little bit lucky' after Hurricane Irma veered from its original course and headed west along Florida's coast.
He said Irma might not have been quite as destructive as a result, but that things will play out over the next several hours. Trump added that Irma would cost 'a lot of money' but he wasn't thinking about that because 'right now, we're worried about lives, not cost.'
He declared a major disaster in the state of Florida, making federal aid available to people affected by Hurricane Irma in nine counties already hit by the storm.
The federal help includes temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover in the counties of Charlotte, Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pinellas, and Sarasota.
Federal funding also is available to governments and non-profit organizations for emergencies in all 67 Florida counties. For the first 30 days, that money will cover 100 percent of the costs of some emergency responses.
As the hurricane moves up the west coast, experts have warned of destructive storm surges on both coasts of Florida and the Keys as it follows a path north toward Georgia.
Hurricane Irma rips the roof off of buildings in Miami
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Dramatic pictures have emerged showing the moment Hurricane Irma's powerful 130mph winds ripped the roof off a Miami home
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A floundered boat is shown at the Haulover Marine Center at Haulover Park in North Miami Beach. Hurricane Irma left behind flooding and devastation in the south as it continued northwards, making landfall again near Naples
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Miami's famed Ocean Drive was slammed by Hurricane Irma's winds and rain as it made landfall yesterday, following hours of increasingly dangerous weather
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Irma tore down a construction crane atop a skyscraper high over Miami (left and right). Cranes are designed to withstand strong winds and twist like weather vanes to reduce resistance, but Irma was too much
Construction crane breaks on Miami high-rise from Irma's winds
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The rough waters where the Miami River meets Biscayne Bay in Miami shows the full effects of Hurricane Irma. Downtown Miami was completely flooded, with waves rolling down the roads
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Recently planted palm trees lie strewn across the road as Hurricane Irma passes through Miami Beach
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A door is seen blown in at a Regions Bank as Hurricane Irma passes through Miami with its 130mph winds; note the leaves continuing to spiral in the air
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Trees sway in strong winds during a storm as Hurricane Irma hits Marco Island in Florida. Officials say it is too soon to determine how many fatalities there have been across the state
Lakeland Police film as Hurricane Irma moves through the area
A storm surge hit Naples at 4.35pm as the eye of the storm got closer to the city, with feet of water suddenly flowing onto streets. But that was a small pre-surge and not the full level.
That kind of flooding is a risk on both sides of the state, but is particularly dangerous on the west coast.
There are longer-term threats, too, from sewage and other toxins being caught in the surge back onto land.
'We're going to be inundated with unprecedented amounts of water,' Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
'It's going to stress our storm water and sewer capacity. There's going to be overflows. There's no two ways around it.'
That in turn could lead to runoff being sent into Tampa Bay, which means dangers to public health as well as to structures.
Leakage from the radiation and toxins created by the state's phosphorus mining industry - the largest in the nation - as well as from the 51 Superfund sites.
Those are largely old chemical or oil storage facilities that have poisoned groundwater over decades, and are among the most toxic places in the nation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection said it would be testing groundwater as soon as it's safe to do so after the storm. EPA said it will also be on the ground after the storm.
Hurricane Irma leaves widespread flooding and destruction
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Hardee Correctional Institute sergeant Joseph Ossman (left) and Hardee County Sheriff's deputy Julie Bridges (right) died when their vehicles collided during Hurricane Irma. It's not clear whether the weather influenced the smash
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Bridges was a mother of an eight-year-old boy (pictured). She had been going home to pick up supplies to help those affected by the storm when the collision occurred
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Another victim of the storm was claimed when his truck (pictured) was swept off the road and into a tree in Monroe County. He has not yet been named
As the nation's eyes turned to follow Irma up the west coast of Florida, the Keys began to take in the immensity of the damage done.
Florida responded with the launch of a massive airborne relief mission by Monroe County Emergency Management, whose director, Martin Senterfitt, called the damage done to the Keys a 'humanitarian crisis.'
He promised disaster mortuary teams, as well as C-130 cargo planes, which United States Air Force special operations pilots are testing flights around the massive storm. Also on the mission will be Air National Guard flights of more C-130s, backed up by squadrons of helicopters. They are expected to start arriving early Monday morning.
The first load will head to Florida Keys Marathon Airport. As it can handle about two C-130 planes at a time, the plan is to land two every two hours, keeping a steady flow of good.
'The help is on its way,' Senterfitt said, adding: 'We're going to get more aid than we've ever seen in our lives.'
It has been difficult to determine the extent of damage Hurricane Irma caused in the Florida Keys due to difficulties with communication.
An overnight curfew was imposed in Miami to stop opportunistic looters taking advantage of the countless coastal homes that now stand abandoned.
But at least 32 people have been arrested across Florida for trying to loot the empty businesses and homes.
Two people burst into an Orlando sporting store and allegedly stole guns, before facing off with SWAT in a standoff. Shocking videos also emerged of gangs trying to break into stores and take advantage of deserted properties.
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Heavy rainfall is predicted to continue falling throughout the week, even as Irma moves on, breaks up and dissipates
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Hurricane Warnings were in effect for almost the whole of Florida, with Tropical Storm Warnings up into Georgia and beyond. The extent of Irma's destruction cannot be fully predicted at this point
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Hurricane Irma sets a path up the west coast of Florida
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Bridges, one of the people killed during the hurricane, had been collecting supplies to keep helping civilians when she collided with Ossman, 53, who had been going to work.
'She worked the shelter all night and was going home to retrieve some more items and then go back to the shelter,' Hardee County Sheriff Arnold Lanier told the Herald-Advocate.
The wreck was reported at 6.53am, having been found at the intersection of Old Crewsville Road and SR 66 in Zolfo Springs. No other vehicles or people were involved.
Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, and has not yet ruled whether the winds and rain caused by Irma at the time of the crash directly influenced the accident.
Bridges was a mother of an eight-year-old boy and a member of the sheriff's Honor Guard. Ossman, meanwhile, had been working at the Hardee Correctional Institute for 21 years.
'We are heartbroken by this loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fellow officers at this time,' Corrections Secretary Julie Jones told the Miami Herald.
They were not the only people to die amid the deluge.
Another man was killed after tropical-storm-strength winds caused him to lose control of the truck he was driving through Monroe County, which contains Key West. He had been carrying a generator, local officials told ABC News.
And an elderly man died of natural causes while sheltering in a school in the city of Marathon on the Keys, Larry Kahn, an editor for FlKeysNews.com, said.
'He was staying in one of the classrooms,' Khan explained. 'Police came up, along with a couple of nurses who are here, actually, got everyone out of the room and sealed it off.'
Those deaths come after Irma claimed at least 25 lives in the Caribbean as it swept over several countries, destroying entire islands. Yesterday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the confirmed death toll on the Caribbean island of St Maarten had increased to four.
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The US Air Force flew in more than 300 doctors and nurses to Orlando ahead of Irma's arrival
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A car sits abandoned in storm surge along North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard. Irma made initial landfall at 9:10am on the Florida Keys, which are now the subject of a massive relief effort. Five people have been confirmed dead in the disaster
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A dolphin statue at the Anglins Fishing Pier's Beach Cafe in Fort Lauderdale lies sprawled across the ground, having been toppled by Hurricane Irma
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Palm Bay officer Dustin Terkoski walks over debris from a partially collapsed two-story home at Palm Point Subdivision in Brevard County
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This residential street in Fort Lauderdale suffered massive flooding as Irma pounded the city relentlessly in its continued passage northwest up Florida
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Large waves produced by Hurricane Irma crash all the way over the top of Anglins Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale as Irma picks up steam in the area
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Palm trees were already being shredded by winds and boats rocking ominously in the harbor as Irma roared toward land at 8-10mph, bringing windspeeds of up to 130mph
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Mike Theiss showed early storm surges on his Twitter feed from the Key West area. Those who had not already fled the city were told to write their names and social security numbers on their arms so their bodies could be identified
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At least 32 people have been arrested across Florida for trying to loot empty businesses and homes that have been evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Irma
Donald Trump was briefed yesterday about the path of Hurricane Irma and preparations made to respond to the storm by the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the White House said.
The president, who met with his cabinet at Camp David this weekend, also spoke to the governors of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee as the hurricane path moved away from the lower Florida Keys westward to the Gulf Coast and states to the north.
Governor Scott said on NBC that he spoke to President Donald Trump, and 'everything I've asked out of the federal government, he's made sure he gave us.'
Once the storm passes, 'we're going to need a lot of help,' Scott warned. But he also described Florida as 'a tough state. We're going to come through this.'
Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said on Fox News: 'Once this system passes through, it's going to be a race to save lives and sustain lives.
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Jacqui Sands, who is the manager of the house, elected to remain with the family's 54 six-toed cats and other members of staff (pictured is volunteer Nicole Navarro). Besides a few fallen trees, the property did not appear to suffer hurricane damage
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'As our staff member, Nicole Navarro was confirming all cats were accounted for, the cat Grace Kelly (pictured) took over roll call,' staff members wrote on the home's Facebook page Saturday night
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The former home of Ernest Hemingway (pictured) is likely to have been hit hard by the storm after Irma roared across Key West. The manager, 72-year-old Jacqui Sands, elected to remain with the family's 54 six-toed cats and other members of staff.
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Gretchen Summer, 79, and her son, Dave Payson, 52, take shelter from Hurricane Irma inside the Germain Arena in Estero
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People take shelter at Key West High School in Key West, Florida on Saturday night as Hurricane Irma approaches
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The Blinckman family use their personal devices while sheltering in a stairwell utility closet as Hurricane Irma goes over Key West. Electricity and running water were both out in Marathon
As Irma swept over the country, people trapped in its midst told DailyMail.com of the drama they were enduring. One of them was lifelong Floridian Jacqueline Cobb of Pembroke Pines, which is near Miami.
She had been forced to bunker down in a school as it was the only shelter she could find for people with special needs, like her friend Stephen Herndon who has problems with his autonomic nervous system that can cause severe nosebleeds, fainting and overheating.
She had originally found a hotel for them to stay in, but it canceled their booking, saying that the lack of impact windows and a backup generator meant they had to shut down.
Cobb helped out as a Red Cross volunteer in Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but says Irma is on another level. 'It was nothing like this, because Hurricane Andrew was a smaller, more compact hurricane, so you could get away from it,' she said.
'We did not feel the wrath, so to speak, in the northern part of the county, but in the southern part it was a battle field. It was completely decimated, some houses were completely destroyed, others were partially damaged.'
Cobb and her friend are safe in her shelter, but a shocking text message left her worried about her home and neighbors.
'I received a code red tornado alert,' she said. 'I have a two-story townhouse and there is a three-and-a-half-ton air conditioner on the rooftop. I'm on a lake in the first house, so If the tornado rips that off, it will open up my house and let water into the building,' she said.
That tornado warning was set to expire at 8am, but Cobb won't find out what's happened to her home for some time. 'We're now on lockdown and we're not clear when we might be able to leave the building,' she said.
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British tourists Stephanie and Elliott Jay, and their two-year-old daughter Isabella (all left) were hiding in Bradenton after their holiday in Miami turned into a nightmare
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Reader Jenny Williams sent in this photograph from her Saratosa neighborhood where she and many of her neighbors had decided to weather out the storm
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A pair of misguided mariners had to be rescued by artin County Sheriff's Office after their boat got caught up in the storm (right) - and they told police they couldn't swim. The boat was later pulled in to shore (right)
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The silly sailors were later brought onto safe land by the brave responders, the sheriff's department revealed in a video on Facebook later
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Locals have been warned not to go outside in the strong winds as there is risk not just from the winds itself, but from flying debris, including palm fronds - which can weigh up to 25lbs - and street signs
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Skate date: The plan was not ready just yet though, as the man had to still built his post
The worst of the storms could hit the west coast of Florida as it moves northwest. In the line of fire is British tourist Stephanie Jay, who took shelter in Naples with her husband Elliot and their two-year-old daughter Isabella.
The family, from St Albans outside London, had enjoyed a week's holiday in Miami until they were unceremoniously evicted from their hotel.
'We went down to reception to ask what was happening and were told to pack our bags and move out of the hotel,' she told DailyMail.com.
'They weren't very helpful considering they knew we were very worried, especially as we don't know many people in Florida... They clearly didn't want us to be there and made our one night there very difficult.'
'We tried to get out of Florida but all the flights were booked and we knew they would be closing the airport so didn't want to be stranded with a two year old,' she said.
Instead, they spent a night in Naples with a friend before heading to Bradenton, south of Tampa. That has left them in the path of the oncoming Irma - but they are remaining positive and hope to return home as planned next week.
In more serious trouble were a pair of would-be sailors who called Martin County Sheriff's Office for help after they remained on their boat in the storm - even though they could not swim.
'MCSO Marine Rescue and Strike Teams are launching into treacherous waters to begin a marine rescue of two people who remained on their boat near the causeway,' a post on the sheriff's office's Facebook page.
'The mariners say they are unable to swim. We will keep you posted on this. Please pray for the safety of our brave first responders.'
Video later showed the paid being led off their boat safely onto the docks.
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Richard Branson (pictured) has posted photos and videos revealing just how devastating Hurricane Irma has been on the British Virgin Island of Necker
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Mr Branson, 67, stayed locked up in his wine cellar on Necker while the powerful storm started raging outside on Wednesday. Pictured is what is left of part of the island
Richard Branson posts shocking video of Hurricane Irma devastation
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Mario Nunez, 45, of Doral, near to Miami International Airport, said he and his family had decided not to evacuate - unlike many of his friends, who had only recently relocated to Florida from South America, and are currently in Orlando.
He said by email that as of 1pm EST his family were feeling 'safe,' and that they 'took all the precautions necessary to ride it a safely as possible,' and had 'no reason to believe our house wouldn't be safe.'
'We own our place and want to look after it,' he said. 'Expected about what we are actually experiencing now. Wilma was much worse, more damage around. Roofs around the neighborhood seem to be coping well.
'We put shutters up and got water and food for a few days. Cut down unsafe trees and picked up yard stuff. Also, after Wilma, we invested on a gas powered generator and portable AC unit.
'We are out of power now and expected to take a few days to get it back.'
Not everyone is as comfortable about the storm - particularly those who are outside the area, but have friends and family in the midst of the chaos.
Elizabeth Winfrow of East Yorkshire in England said that she had not heard from her parents, who were told to shelter in place at their hotel in Naples, which is due to take the brunt of the storm.
She said that Joan and Malcolm Winfrow, aged 73 and 78, were left stranded after confusion over whether they should evacuate.
'They were told they were safe, then to evacuate,' she said, 'but by this time all the evacuation centers were full.'
As of 2pm EST, they had last heard from Joan three hours before, when she texted: 'Don't forget we might not be able to make contact for a long while. But you know I will as soon as I possibly can don't worry we I'm sure be really safe just a bit scared but safe.'
Irma made landfall on the Florida Keys at around 9am and continued to sweep over all of the islands, leaving terrified citizens hiding in shelters.
The city of Marathon was hit hard. Electricity and running water were both out at Marathon High School, which was set up to be one of four 'shelters of last resort'. But things were worse outside.
'Everything is underwater, I mean everything,' Kahn, one of those sheltering inside, said.
Meanwhile, food supplies were running low, and sheriff's deputies were searching the school's canteen for enough sustenance to keep the 50 or so people inside safe.
'[A sheriff's deputy] told me everyone could be in this building for days,' Kahn said. 'Everyone here seems to be just walking around in a fog.'
Another Key West group is holed up in the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, where the manager, 72-year-old Jacqui Sands, has elected to remain with the family's 54 six-toed cats and other members of staff.
The house is 16 feet above sea level, has 18-inch-thick limestone walls and three generators.
The building last updated its Facebook page at 9pm Saturday with a photo of a cat peering at a list, and the caption: 'As our staff member, Nicole Navarro was confirming all cats were accounted for, the cat Grace Kelly took over roll call.
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A tree is seen toppled onto a pickup truck in Miami after being battered by Irma's winds. Flying debris is an omnipresent danger for those outside in the terrifying weather
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Key West's streets started to flood as Hurricane Irma struck the area. Even with the eye 15-20 miles out, winds and rain had made it too dangerous to drive
Hurricane Irma packs high winds and life-threatening storm surges
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On Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Key West had issued stark warnings to Miami's residents, saying that emergency services - just a few of whom remain on the largely empty roads - would not be able to help anyone during the worst of the storm.
First responders were told to seek shelter as soon as winds reach 40mph or more, as safe movement through the streets becomes impossible.
The NWS is also warning locals not to return to the city even when the winds move on - at least until authorities have given the all-clear that roads are safe for travel.
Irma's outer bands pummeled Miami and parts of southeast Florida on Saturday afternoon. Two tornadoes hit Broward County after the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch.
The National Weather Service had earlier warned that tornadoes were commonly spawned by a hurricane and could could damage far away from the center of the hurricane, while storm surges could cause more fatalities than any other hurricane hazard.
There are some 127,000 people in evacuation shelters across Florida. The state said Saturday that more than 400 shelters are open, mostly in schools, churches and community centers.
Residents in the Keys had been warned for days that they should pack up and leave before Irma hits. Some defiantly stayed, vowing to ride out the storm despite warnings that it may cost them their lives.
The entire Florida Keys were supposed to be emptied and firefighters went door to door in mobile home parks, urging residents to get out. People who refused to evacuate were not being arrested, but were told they wouldn't be rescued once the storm arrives.
'You can call, but we're not coming,' Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
Early storm surge in Key West as Hurricane Irma slams Florida
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Authorities have warned that locals are on their own and emergency services will not be able to help those trapped in the worst of the storm once it hits, and have said everyone should get to safety
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Fronds - each of which can weigh up to 25lbs - were being knocked off palm trees by the fearsome winds on Ocean Beach, Miami as the hurricane struck the city
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Debris fills the tree-lined streets of a residential area in Coral Gables, Miami. Winds have shredded flora and snapped off branches
Hurricane Irma slams into Marathon, Florida at full force
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Footage has since emerged of Key West being battered by the storm.
Trash cans can be seen hurtling down the street in winds described as 'hurricane-like'. Trees have been ripped from the ground, crushing vehicles and properties, and sparks have started to fly from powerlines above quaint houses.
Many webcams set up for live streams of the city were wiped out before 6am as the hurricane neared.
Forecasts from the National Hurricane Center show that the impact of Hurricane Irma will stretch into Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Alabama.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the Georgia coast northward to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Tropical storm warnings are in place along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. Tropical storm watches also extend as far as eastern Alabama.
The storm toppled Cuba on Friday night and Saturday morning, pounding the island nation with 160mph winds and unprecedented rain.
British billionaire Richard Branson has also revealed the extent of devastation to his luxurious Necker Island home after he took cover when Irma tore through the Caribbean.
The entrepreneur posted a video online showing how the storm has destroyed his British Virgin Islands home, with buildings blown away and trees ripped from the ground.
The 67-year-old locked himself in his wine cellar as the hurricane, the most powerful to have ever hit the Atlantic, started raging outside on Wednesday.
The tycoon has now traveled to Puerto Rico where he is helping coordinate the effort to deliver aid and a rebuilding plan for the British Virgin Islands.
Florida's animals take up shelter in the county jail as inmates are evacuated in convoy of convict buses
Mo the sloth and Kramer the emu are as innocent as they come, but they are doing time in a Florida county jail to protect them from the worst of Hurricane Irma.
So are many horses, pigs, goats, sheep, tropical birds, alligators, snakes, turtles and a few other species that the sheriff's office cares for at a farm for abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated animals.
Once the 426 humans who normally occupy cells at the Monroe County Jail were evacuated by bus to lockups in Palm Beach County, there was an opportunity to move 250 animals indoors, rather than leave them exposed to Hurricane Irma's storm surge, flooding rains and pounding wind.
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Mo the sloth eating an ear of corn as it is evacuated from the Monroe County Sheriff's animal farm Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Key West, Fla. The 250 animals from the farm were relocated to the city jail
'We're as ready as we can be,' Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said.
Five dolphins were moved from the Florida Keys to central Florida in advance of the storm, but most zoos in the Miami area said they were trying to keep their animals in place and secure from whatever Irma will bring.
Authorities in Palm Beach County were being alerted to many animals chained or caged in yards by fleeing owners - these pets have been rescued and will have new homes, they said.
'We are pretty clear, when you surrender your animal you give up your rights,' Dianne Sauve, the director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Hundreds of thoroughbreds were moved from low-lying areas of Gulfstream Park, near Miami, to training facilities and barns farther north. Some animal shelters were relocating dogs and cats to safer facilities, and a humane society near Tampa said it needed temporary foster homes for more than 100 dogs.
'We live in a hurricane-prone area so our facilities are designed to accommodate these storms,' said Brian Dowling, the general curator at Lion Country Safari in Palm Beach County, where lions, chimpanzees, rhinos and more were staying put.
'Obviously, everything can't be hurricane-proof.'
Many of their animals were moved into pens designed to hold up even if nearby buildings were lost in storms or tornadoes. Others were kept in their usual day-to-day habitat, some even with gates left open within their normal spaces.
Flamingos evacuate to safety in Tampa over Hurricane Irma
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Flamingos are pictured taking refuge in a bathroom at Miami-Metro Zoo on September 14, 1999 during Hurricane Floyd
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Flamingos take refuge in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami
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Cheetahs are photographed in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami on September 9
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A keeper guides a Indian White rumped vulture into shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma in Miami
The reason, Mr Dowling said, is simple, animals sense when things are not right, and raising their stress can complicate matters.
'We allow those animals to decide where they want to go,' Mr Dowling said. 'It actually reduces the stress level considerably. Their instincts tell them how to ride out the storm.'
SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was keeping workers on-site at all hours to care for and monitor the animals.
SeaWorld also took in the five adult male dolphins from Dolphin Discovery in Duck Key, where officials said they will stay 'until they can be safely returned to their home in the Florida Keys'.
Irma provided another reminder of what hurricanes have done to the state's ecosystem. A quarter of a century after Hurricane Andrew, its impact is still seen in the Everglades, where the invasive Burmese pythons decimating populations of native mammals are believed to be descended from exotic snake breeding facilities that were destroyed in the wind.
Most exotic animals that wandered loose in Andrew's wake were recovered, but not the pythons.
With only very large alligators to challenge them, the pythons have thrived in the wetlands. Estimates range from 10,000 to 100,000, but their presence can be seen in the near-total absence of rabbits or other small animals reported by hunters who are now paid by the state to kill the snakes.
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Two manatees were stranded after Hurricane Irma sucked the water out of Sarasota Bay, in Florida's Manatee County
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4869944/Hurricane-Irma-hits-Florida-s-Key-West-130mph-winds.html#ixzz4sOpb2PQ0
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