Tuesday, 05/09/2017 16:32 (GMT+7)
Hurricane Irma is strengthening and is expected to strike the east coast of the United States.
(Photo: Reuters)
The news comes after at least 50 people were killed in Hurricane Harvey, and a further 30,000 left needing shelter.
The National Hurricane Centre has said that Irma has now been upgraded to a category four hurricane as it heads towards the Caribbean.
By September 3rd, Irma had strengthened to a category three hurricane, with winds nearing 115mph (185km/h), the National Hurricane Centre said.
"Irma is expected to impact the northeastern Leeward Islands by the middle of this week as a major hurricane, accompanied by dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall impacts, along with rough surf and rip currents," the National Hurricane Centre said.
On September 4th, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida in anticipation of Irma. A state of emergency was also declared in Puerto Rico earlier in the day.
“Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm, and Florida must be prepared,” Mr. Rick Scott of Florida said in a statement.
The last hurricane to hit Florida was Matthew last October, which brushed up along its east coast before making landfall in South Carolina as a category one storm./.
Compiled by BTA