Hurricane Irma made its first landfall early Wednesday in the northeast Caribbean, with the eye of the Category 5 storm passing over Barbuda. Officials said nearly 95 percent of structures on the small island were severely damaged. Puerto Rico, Anguilla , Saint Maarten and other Caribbean islands have also felt the brunt of the massive Category 5 storm.
Irma’s death toll has reached 10, with news of a death in Anguilla. That number s expected to rise.
In the United States, stes of emergency have been delcared in florida, both North and South carolin and Georgia as authorities urge residents along the coastlines to seek eshelter further inland.
According to The Associated Press, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Wednesday for the state's 100-mile (160-kilometer) swath of Atlantic coast, which was last struck by a hurricane of force Category 3 or higher in 1898. His South Carolina counterpart, Gov. Henry McMaster, declared an emergency for that neighboring state as officials assessed the chances of receiving a major hurricane strike there for the first time in nearly 28 years.
Also, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency taking effect at 8 a.m. Thursday for the entire state. He added that all swift-water rescue teams the state had sent to Texas for Hurricane Harvey were expected back in North Carolina by Wednesday night.
