Hurricane Irma’s eye passed over several Caribbean islands early Wednesday as the record-breaking storm makes its way towards Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
WATCH:
Irma, the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, made landfall in Barbuda Wednesday morning. The “potentially catastrophic” storm is expected to hit Florida over the weekend.
Hurricane Irma Passing over Caribbean Island of Barbuda https://t.co/H6AMdxSADQ
— Bill & Jess (@EssentialGypsie) September 6, 2017
A news crew tried to cover the storm as it passed over Barbuda, but they were forced to cut their segment short due to high winds. Irma, a Category 5 storm, has maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.
Local authorities had this to say: “May God protect us all.”
News crew reportedly in #Barbuda attempts to cover hurricane #Irma. Gives up. (sound warning) pic.twitter.com/FY3sAj5pVr
— ZeroPointNow (@ZeroPointNow) September 6, 2017
Irma’s eye also passed over the islands of St. Martin and Anguilla, bringing destruction as a storm surge flooded streets and high winds toppled trees and ripped through roofs.
Here’s footage captured after Harvey’s eye passed over St. Martin:
#StMaarten #StMartin after #irma diffcult time #StBarth #StBarthelemy #barbuda #hurricane pic.twitter.com/3yjdZ9z1RO
— Crottaz Finance (@crofin67) September 6, 2017
Here’s footage from Anguilla as the storm hit:
#HurricaineIrma #Irma #Irma2017
Snap shot of what’s going on in #Anguilla right now ….#prayfortheCaribbean pic.twitter.com/6MjrXvIn7Q— The Invisible Man (@invisibleman_17) September 6, 2017
UPDATE: #HurricaneIrma is a direct hit. Eye of the storm approaching. Here’s video from this morning in #Anguilla. pic.twitter.com/B180ztCFH7
— Anguilla-Beaches.com (@anguillabeaches) September 6, 2017
Irma has also caused massive flood damage on the French-speaking island of Saint Barthelemy:
Storm surge from #Irma causing massive flooding in #StBarthelemy. Maximum sustained winds 185mph.(@guadeloupe_1ere) pic.twitter.com/1iiWaLgWJS
— Kevin Rincon (@KevRincon) September 6, 2017
Irma will continue west across the South Atlantic and is expected to hit the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by Wednesday afternoon.
Follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.