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Irma Live Updates: Most Homes in Florida Keys Are Damaged, Officials Say Irma Live Updates: Southeastern U.S. Grapples with Storm’s Aftermath
(about 1 hour later)
Irma’s effects were still stinging Florida on Tuesday, from the Keys in the south, where officials said 90 percent of houses had sustained damage, to Jacksonville in the north, where hundreds had been rescued from floodwaters. Across much of the Southeastern United States on Tuesday, stressed and exhausted families were assessing damage from Irma, or just beginning the arduous journey home, often grappling with gasoline shortages, sweltering heat and spotty telecommunication services.
Restoring electricity service remained a priority for the state, with the Department of Homeland Security saying about 15 million people were without power in Florida on Tuesday morning. Now a post-tropical cyclone, Irma continued to weaken as it moved toward the Tennessee Valley. Some of the worst damage it wrought was focused in the the Florida Keys, where the storm had torn at nearly every home, and in Jacksonville, where the extent of flooding “shocked” residents and officials alike, Gov. Rick Scott said. “So many areas that you would never have thought have flooded, have flooded,” he said.
In the Florida Keys, an estimated 25 percent of homes were destroyed when Irma hit there as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday, while another 65 percent suffered “major damage,” the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said at a news conference. “Basically every house in the Keys was impacted in some way or another,” he said. An estimated 25 percent of homes were destroyed when Irma hit there as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday, while another 65 percent suffered “major damage,” the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said at a news conference.
An aircraft carrier and other Navy ships were headed to the Keys, and parts of the chain were being reopened to residents from 7 a.m. “We’re going to do everything we can to help every individual in this state,” Gov. Rick Scott said. Officials in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina sought to prepare residents for the hardships of recovery. More than 5.6 million Florida homes and businesses remained without power, according to state officials.
Nursing homes and assisted-living facilities faced challenges in providing basic care to the region’s elderly, as staff members relied on generators to power medical equipment. And residents began anticipating the challenges of the weeks and months to come, including water damage, mold and shut-down schools.
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Here’s the latest:Here’s the latest:
• At least 45 people have died as a result of the storm, including at least 10 in the continental United States, according to The Associated Press.• At least 45 people have died as a result of the storm, including at least 10 in the continental United States, according to The Associated Press.
• The remnants of Irma, downgraded to a tropical depression on Monday night, are moving toward the Tennessee Valley. • South Carolina officials said that while infrastructure damage had been much less severe than expected, there was the potential for minor flooding in Charleston and Hilton Head on Tuesday and throughout the week.
• President Emmanuel Macron of France arrived in the Caribbean on Tuesday to assess the damage to French territories battered by Hurricane Irma last week.• President Emmanuel Macron of France arrived in the Caribbean on Tuesday to assess the damage to French territories battered by Hurricane Irma last week.
• About 94,000 people remain in Florida shelters, according to state officials. Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami lifted curfews on Tuesday, local officials said.
• The authorities are assessing the full extent of the damage and have hesitated to estimate the cost of a cleanup. Check out our most powerful photographs.• The authorities are assessing the full extent of the damage and have hesitated to estimate the cost of a cleanup. Check out our most powerful photographs.
• Sign up for the Morning Briefing for hurricane news and a daily look at what you need to know to begin your day.• Sign up for the Morning Briefing for hurricane news and a daily look at what you need to know to begin your day.
Governor Scott said Tuesday that 30,000 people were working to resolve one of the state’s most urgent issues: turning the power back on.Governor Scott said Tuesday that 30,000 people were working to resolve one of the state’s most urgent issues: turning the power back on.
Florida officials said the outages were still affecting 5.5 million accounts, which Christopher Krebs, a Department of Homeland Security official, said would leave about 15 million people without power. Florida officials said the outages were still affecting 5.6 million accounts, which Christopher Krebs, a Department of Homeland Security official, said would leave about 15 million people without power.
The state had shifted to recovery and rebuilding efforts, Mr. Scott said, and the authorities were also working to get water and food to those who need it and to restore access to fuel.The state had shifted to recovery and rebuilding efforts, Mr. Scott said, and the authorities were also working to get water and food to those who need it and to restore access to fuel.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but everybody’s going to come together,” he said. “We’re going to get this state rebuilt.” In the Keys, an estimated 25 percent of homes were destroyed when Irma hit there as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday, while another 65 percent suffered “major damage,” the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said at a news conference. “Basically every house in the Keys was impacted in some way or another,” he said.
In the Florida Keys, where the storm tore at nearly every home, repairs were needed on the electricity grid and sewage systems and bridges were being inspected for safety, he added. Repairs were needed on the electricity grid and sewage systems there, and bridges were being inspected for safety, he added.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but everybody’s going to come together,”Governor Scott said. “We’re going to get this state rebuilt.”
Mayor Lenny Curry of Jacksonville lifted the city’s mandatory evacuation orders on Tuesday, but warned that “there are still road blockages, there is still serious flooding, so there is a possibility you may not be able to get back to your home.Mayor Lenny Curry of Jacksonville lifted the city’s mandatory evacuation orders on Tuesday, but warned that “there are still road blockages, there is still serious flooding, so there is a possibility you may not be able to get back to your home.
“But you’re welcome to come back,” he said at a Tuesday morning news conference. “Check your home out and see what’s going on here.”“But you’re welcome to come back,” he said at a Tuesday morning news conference. “Check your home out and see what’s going on here.”
The city suffered a “trifecta” of water-related threats — storm surge, heavy rainfall over the weekend and Monday’s rising tides — city officials had said.The city suffered a “trifecta” of water-related threats — storm surge, heavy rainfall over the weekend and Monday’s rising tides — city officials had said.
Monday was “rescue day,” he said, noting that the authorities there had rescued 356 people. “Today begins the cleaning and the rebuilding process,” he added.Monday was “rescue day,” he said, noting that the authorities there had rescued 356 people. “Today begins the cleaning and the rebuilding process,” he added.
Jacksonville would begin distributing water on Tuesday morning, reopen city offices on Wednesday and begin collecting storm debris next Monday. “I will push my entire team aggressively to get this city back to normal as fast as possible,” Mr. Curry said.Jacksonville would begin distributing water on Tuesday morning, reopen city offices on Wednesday and begin collecting storm debris next Monday. “I will push my entire team aggressively to get this city back to normal as fast as possible,” Mr. Curry said.
Governor Scott said the flooding had suprised residents and officials alike. “So many areas that you would never have thought have flooded, have flooded,” he said. “This is a different kind of natural disaster,” Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia said on Tuesday. ”We have not had one like this in the state of Georgia for a very long time.”
High winds felled trees and severed service lines in Georgia and South Carolina on Monday, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people in the two states. “This is one where the entire state of Georgia has been affected by this hurricane-slash-tropical storm, and as a result of that, recovery is going to be a little more slow.”
A tropical storm warning was issued for all of Georgia’s coast and most of South Carolina’s. Some of the worst flooding occurred in Charleston, where knee-high floodwaters coursed through the streets — high enough for some residents to navigate by kayak. The state lifted an evacuation order that had been in effect for coastal areas east of Interstate 95 after inspections confirmed the bridges there were safe to cross.
Homer Bryson, the director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, said that fuel outages were being reported throughout the state.
Officials with the state’s two largest electric utilities reported that at least 1.2 million customers were without power on Tuesday.
“This has been a path of destruction, not only through Florida but also all of Georgia,” said Paul Bowers, the president and chief executive of Georgia Power.
Mayor Tomás Regalado of Miami has shared an account of an extraordinary rescue.
As the storm hit the city, 911 operators received a call requesting help for a woman who had had a stroke in the Flagami neighborhood, on the city’s west side, Mr. Regalado said at a news conference on Tuesday. But with winds exceeding 45 miles per hour the emergency response teams were prohibited from going out.
“A decision was made by fire and police to use an armored car of the SWAT team to pick up the firefighters at the station; pick up the lady at the house, in the middle of the storm; and take the lady to the hospital,” Mr. Regalado said. “So SWAT was used to save the life of a City of Miami resident.”
“I think it’s important that one life mattered,” he added, saying that such a rescue had never been executed before.
Miami officials lifted the city’s 7 p.m to 7 a.m. curfew on Tuesday and thanked residents and business owners for their patience in dealing with it.
“We’ve been able to have a very clear eye in the streets during this curfew, but now it is time to lift it,” Ken Russell, commissioner of Miami’s Second District, said. “And with the curfew lifted there will be more public activity in the streets, which will also discourage looting and criminal activity.”
Some of the worst flooding on Monday occurred in Charleston, where knee-high floodwaters coursed through the streets — high enough for some residents to navigate by kayak.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Charleston County and said that parts of the Charleston peninsula, which contains the city’s historic core, were being closed.The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Charleston County and said that parts of the Charleston peninsula, which contains the city’s historic core, were being closed.
In an interview Monday afternoon, Mayor John Tecklenburg said that the city had been hit with a four-foot storm surge, leaving parts of the peninsula looking as if they had merged with the Ashley River.In an interview Monday afternoon, Mayor John Tecklenburg said that the city had been hit with a four-foot storm surge, leaving parts of the peninsula looking as if they had merged with the Ashley River.
“It sounds kind of counterintuitive that we’d have that, because the center of the storm is over 200 miles away in western Georgia, and here we are over on the coast of South Carolina,” he said. “But just if you looked at the bigger weather map and saw the counterclockwise rotation of Irma, juxtaposed with a clockwise high-pressure rotation over the Atlantic, Charleston was like in the pincer of those two motions that has driven wind and hurricane bands almost directly into our city.”“It sounds kind of counterintuitive that we’d have that, because the center of the storm is over 200 miles away in western Georgia, and here we are over on the coast of South Carolina,” he said. “But just if you looked at the bigger weather map and saw the counterclockwise rotation of Irma, juxtaposed with a clockwise high-pressure rotation over the Atlantic, Charleston was like in the pincer of those two motions that has driven wind and hurricane bands almost directly into our city.”
Mr. Tecklenburg said that the flooding was even worse than last year’s Hurricane Matthew, which inundated the city in October, in great part because Matthew arrived at low tide, whereas Irma’s effect came at high tide.Mr. Tecklenburg said that the flooding was even worse than last year’s Hurricane Matthew, which inundated the city in October, in great part because Matthew arrived at low tide, whereas Irma’s effect came at high tide.
Farther inland, concerns about serious damage remained high, even as the storm’s power diminished somewhat.
In Atlanta, the winds whipping through the leaves created a sound like an angry sea breaking on a shoreline, and trees crashed into residences and onto roadways. The city’s public school system canceled classes through Tuesday, and Delta airlines, based in Atlanta, canceled about 900 flights Monday, noting a special concern about strong north-south crosswinds at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which bills itself as the busiest in the world.
St. Martin and St. Barthélemy, known for idyllic beaches that have long been a draw for tourists, were left devastated Irma tore across the islands. Roofs were torn from homes and power and water were knocked out on both islands. At least a dozen were killed as a result of the storm, according to The Associated Press.St. Martin and St. Barthélemy, known for idyllic beaches that have long been a draw for tourists, were left devastated Irma tore across the islands. Roofs were torn from homes and power and water were knocked out on both islands. At least a dozen were killed as a result of the storm, according to The Associated Press.
During a news briefing at the airport in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, President Macron vowed government support to rebuild the devastated islands where he planned to travel later in the day.During a news briefing at the airport in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, President Macron vowed government support to rebuild the devastated islands where he planned to travel later in the day.
“I am here with three government ministers to express firstly the solidarity of the international community following what happened after Hurricane Irma and to say that all of France stands side by side with those who lost everything, some even lost their loved ones,” Mr. Macron said. French relief operations are being coordinated from Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, which was spared the widespread destruction seen on other Caribbean islands.“I am here with three government ministers to express firstly the solidarity of the international community following what happened after Hurricane Irma and to say that all of France stands side by side with those who lost everything, some even lost their loved ones,” Mr. Macron said. French relief operations are being coordinated from Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, which was spared the widespread destruction seen on other Caribbean islands.
At least 1,900 members of the security forces have been deployed to St. Martin, where the rule of law disintegrated after the storm, as stranded residents struggled with food and water shortages.At least 1,900 members of the security forces have been deployed to St. Martin, where the rule of law disintegrated after the storm, as stranded residents struggled with food and water shortages.
The military has since brought humanitarian aid by air, but the French Red Cross detailed how “major security problems” hampered the initial arrival of humanitarian aid to St. Martin. More aid workers were sent to the island on Tuesday, and a military ship was also expected to arrive on the island with additional supplies.The military has since brought humanitarian aid by air, but the French Red Cross detailed how “major security problems” hampered the initial arrival of humanitarian aid to St. Martin. More aid workers were sent to the island on Tuesday, and a military ship was also expected to arrive on the island with additional supplies.
“St. Martin will be reborn. I am committed,” Mr. Macron tweeted on Tuesday morning, shortly after arriving on the island. The destruction on that island alone is estimated at $1.43 billion, according to French tourism officials. Much of the island is still without power.“St. Martin will be reborn. I am committed,” Mr. Macron tweeted on Tuesday morning, shortly after arriving on the island. The destruction on that island alone is estimated at $1.43 billion, according to French tourism officials. Much of the island is still without power.
The government of the Netherlands was simultaneously working to distribute aid and procide shelteron the Dutch side of St. Martin, according to a statement released on Tuesday.The government of the Netherlands was simultaneously working to distribute aid and procide shelteron the Dutch side of St. Martin, according to a statement released on Tuesday.