St Barts in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma passed over. Photo / Supplied - Kevin Barrallon
St Barts in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma passed over. Photo / Supplied - Kevin Barrallon
Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico with 185mph (297km/h) winds after reducing the tiny tropical islands of Barbuda and St Martin to rubble and claiming at least eight lives.
The category 5 storm - the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic - left a trail of deadly devastation through the Caribbean when it struck on Wednesday on a potential collision course with south Florida.
Barbuda and St Martin suffered the storm's full fury with roughly 95 per cent of properties destroyed on both islands. Officials said at least six people died on the French part of St Martin - a pristine resort known for its vibrant nightlife.
"It's an enormous catastrophe. Ninety-five percent of the island is destroyed," top local official Daniel Gibbs said.
The island, which is divided between the Netherlands and France, was left without drinking water or electricity, and the death toll is expected to rise.
Barbuda, part of the twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, also suffered 'absolute devastation' and is 'barely habitable' with more than 90 per cent of dwellings completely destroyed and one child killed.
This morning, the United Nations said up to 49 million people are in the hurricane's path as aid agencies prepare for a "major humanitarian response".
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the UK is "taking swift action to respond" to the disaster after speaking to the chief minister of Anguilla, a British overseas territory that was among the first islands to be hit. A British naval ship has been deployed to help deal with the aftermath with 40 Royal Marines on board, as well as army engineers and equipment, as authorities struggle to bring aid to smaller islands.
As well as the eight dead, France's Interior minister says Hurricane Irma has left at least 23 injured on French Caribbean island territories.
Speaking on French radio France Info, Gerard Collomb said the death toll in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy could be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands.Collomb said today: "The reconnaissance will really start at daybreak."
Hurricane Irma is moving to the northeast of the Dominican Republic after blacking out much of Puerto Rico.
Photo / Supplied - Kevin Barrallon
The US National Hurricane Center says the Category 5 storm's maximum sustained winds are near 180 mph (290 km/h).
The hurricane center says some fluctuations in strength are likely during the next day or two but Irma is expected to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane.
As of 2am EDT, the storm was about 140 miles (225km/h) northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is moving west-northwest near 16 mph (26km/h).
