Hurricane left a trail of destruction in Florida and Caribean Islands

Hurricane Irma has left a trail of destruction as even after a week residents in Caribbean islands find themselves in darkness with no electricity and they are increasingly worried as food and water supplies dwindle; while power outages in Florida affected almost five million homes, organisations and businesses, among them gas stations.

President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence are expected to travel to Florida on Thursday after Hurricane Irma swept through the state this weekend, resulting in deaths of at least 12 people in the United States.

In the storm's aftermath, residents and tourists described a volatile situation, with vexing challenges ahead that have forced people to fend for themselves, CNN reported.

 

Along with feelings of abandonment, residents spoke of widespread scarcity, the generosity of neighbours, looting and machete-armed volunteers standing guard over properties.

Hurricane Irma struck a patchwork of independent island nations and territories in various forms of association with France, the Netherlands, the US and the UK and killed at least 38 people in the Caribbean.

While millions in Florida grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma as more than 40 percent of Florida still lacked electricity and residents were struggling to maintain cellphone services or Internet access.

Hurricane Irma destroyed a quarter of the homes in the Florida Keys and badly damaged many more, federal officials said Tuesday, as millions of people in the nation's Southeast remained without power in the storm's wake.

"Basically every house in the Keys was impacted in some way or another," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said at a news conference. "This is why we ask people to leave."

European politicians, including French President Emmanuel Macron, visited the overseas territories this week. Macron condemned reports of looting and vowed to restore order by deploying 2,000 security personnel to street patrols on St. Martin. He also offered assurances that power will be restored, running water will return and schools will reopen in the coming weeks.

The Florida Department of Transportation said Tuesday night it has determined the bridges between the islands are structurally sound.Transportation officials said two sections of US 1 that were washed away by Irma, one at mile marker 37 and the other at mile marker 75, have been repaired.