Hurricane Irma heads to Caribbean as states of emergency declared

States of emergency have been declared as Hurricane Irma grew into a category 5 storm that is forecast to begin buffeting the Caribbean on Tuesday, the Guardian reports. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 215km/h on Monday afternoon, and the US National Hurricane Centre said they were expected to become stronger. Irma at the time was 790km east of the Leeward Islands and moving west at 20km/h. Emergency officials have warned the storm could dump up to 25cm of rain, unleash landslides and flash floods and generate waves of up to 23ft. “We’re looking at Irma as a very significant event,” said Ronald Jackson, executive director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. “I can’t recall a tropical cone developing that rapidly into a major hurricane prior to arriving in the central Caribbean.” On Monday, economically struggling Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. Florida has followed suit. The hurricane centre expects Irma to reach southern Florida on Saturday and US residents were urged to monitor the storm’s progress in case it affects Georgia or the Carolinas. Irma will be the second powerful hurricane to hit the US and its territories in as many weeks. Residents in Texas and Louisiana are still reeling from the catastrophic effects of the Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas as a category 4 hurricane on 25 August and dumped several feet of rain, destroying thousands of homes and businesses.US carrier in positionA US aircraft carrier with a field hospital and dozens of aircraft able to conduct rescue or supply missions has been positioned protectively in the area, according to Alejandro de la Campa of the Caribbean division of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Local press identified the carrier as the USS Kearsarge. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto ordered 900 municipal employees – police, emergency personnel, and aid and social workers – to report for rotating 12-hour shifts. Even if that island is spared a direct hit, the mayor said, three days of pounding rain will do heavy damage. Irma's precise path remains unclear. But several projections have it passing over the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before turning north toward Florida and then possibly swinging up the US East Coast. Scrambling amid the uncertainty, Florida declared a state of emergency to facilitate preparations. For now, hurricane warnings have been issued for the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Martin, Sint Maarten, St Barthelemy, Saba and St Eustatius; the British Virgin Islands; US Virgin Islands; Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra.