Breaking News English

A record-breaking hurricane is causing death and [destructive / destruction] as it passes through the Caribbean and [heads / headings] towards the U.S. state of Florida. On Thursday, Hurricane Irma caused [majority / major] devastation [across / crosses] the Caribbean islands of Barbuda, St. Martin, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands. The Prime Minister of Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said about 95 per cent [on / of] the buildings on the island had suffered [sum / some] damage. He said: "It's [absolute / absolutely] devastation. The island is [literally / literal] under water….Barbuda is barely [habitable / habitation] ." A government official for St Martin said: "There is massive destruction. We'll concentrate our first efforts so that in the next hours, people can get [excess / access] to food and drinking water."

Hurricane Irma is a category 5 storm – the [strangest / strongest] on the 1-5 scale of [hurricane / hurricanes] . It is the second strongest hurricane [even / ever] to be recorded and the strongest ever [recording / recorded] east of the Caribbean Sea. Irma has kept a wind speed [close / closed] to 300kph for more than 24 hours. This is the longest period ever recorded. Meteorologists said Hurricane Irma was over 1,200km [width / wide] . It is likely to become a Category 4 hurricane when it [makes / takes] landfall in Florida on Saturday morning. Florida officials have already ordered a mandatory [evacuate / evacuation] of Florida Keys - the southern [part / partner] of the state of Florida. Residents there are bracing themselves for winds of up to 300kph and massive and damaging storm [purges / surges] .