‘We just don’t know how many are dead’: 10,000 people who stayed in Florida Keys to brave Hurricane Irma ‘now have no water, food or power’ amid fears of a ‘humanitarian crisis’ – but deadly storm is now downgraded to Category One
Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it hammered the Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds Monday
Irma had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after making landfall for the second time in Marco Island
The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes with substantial flooding
Five deaths reported in Florida so far but officials admit they do not have a definitive number of fatalities yet
The storm has toppled cranes, swallowed streets, ripped up trees and left nearly 4.5 million without power
Six million people had been told to leave their homes in mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders
More than 170,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast
The storm has already claimed at least 25 lives across the Caribbean since it took hold earlier in the week
President Donald Trump said US may have been a ‘little bit lucky’ after Irma veered from its original course
By Emily Crane and James Wilkinson
DailyMail.com
11 September 2017
Rescuers have admitted they do not know how many people in Florida have been killed by Hurricane Irma amid fears of a looming ‘humanitarian crisis’.
Up to 10,000 people are believed to have stayed in their Florida Keys homes during the storm and now have no water, food or power, officials have warned.
It comes as it emerged Irma has left nearly 4.5million people without electricity and five dead as the destructive storm hammered the state with strong winds and threats of devastating storm surges.
Irma weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it pummeled the vulnerable Tampa Bay region with 85mph winds early this morning. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will cross Monday into southwest Georgia, where a hurricane warning was in effect for a large rural area including the cities of Albany and Valdosta.
The deadly storm had earlier punished Fort Myers and Naples after coming ashore for the second time in Marco Island. The National Hurricane Center said water levels in Naples rose 7ft in just 90 minutes.
The death toll jumped to five today with reports a person had been found dead in a home in Florida Keys.
But this morning, Florida Director of Emergency Management Bryan Koon said he could not confirm or deny reports of multiple deaths or extensive damage admitting: ‘I don’t have any numbers on fatalities at this point.’
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