A record-breaking hurricane is causing death and destruction as it passes the Caribbean and heads towards the U.S. state Florida. On Thursday, Hurricane Irma caused major devastation the Caribbean islands Barbuda, St. Martin, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands. The Prime Minister Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said about 95 per cent the buildings the island had suffered some damage. He said: "It's absolute devastation. The island is literally water….Barbuda is barely habitable." A government official St Martin said: "There is massive destruction. We'll concentrate our first efforts so that the next hours, people can get access to food and drinking water."
Hurricane Irma is a category 5 storm – the strongest the 1-5 scale hurricanes. It is the second strongest hurricane ever to be recorded and the strongest ever recorded east the Caribbean Sea. Irma has kept a wind speed close to 300kph more than 24 hours. This is the longest period ever recorded. Meteorologists said Hurricane Irma was 1,200km wide. It is likely to become a Category 4 hurricane when it makes landfall Florida Saturday morning. Florida officials have already ordered a mandatory evacuation Florida Keys - the southern part the state of Florida. Residents there are bracing themselves for winds of to 300kph and massive and damaging storm surges.
