Hurricane Irma hits Florida

Hurricane Irma hits Florida

The gigantic storm, which has been downgraded to Category 3, hits the Keys and heads west along Tampa

Florida has entered the eye of the hurricane. Under winds of 200 miles per hour, the weather monster Irma has hit has hit the United States. Not by Miami, wherever a colossal onslaught was feared, however by the southwest of the peninsula. initial the Keys and as you pass the hours heading north to naples, Fort Myers, and Tampa. A vertical of residential areas, wherevermany thousands of retirees look for peace and rest.

 In that golden space, with one of the state's highest per capita incomes, the hurricane is expected to unleash its fury and test the success or failure of one of the largest evacuations in US history.
Miami, under the first winds of the hurricane. REUTERS REUTERS-QUALITY

All eyes are stuck in Florida, but the panic goes further. 540,000 people have been asked to leave the Georgia coast. And the state of emergency has been decreed in Alabama,

 North Carolina, and SouthCarolina. "The destructive power of this storm is enormous," President Donald Trump has condemned.

The hurricane, whose strength has gone down to Category 3, still brings with it the army of storms, explosive bursts, and swells that have shown the devastation through which it has passed. Cuba, Barbados, San Martin and the Virgin Islands have felt their mark. And now it's time for the Southeast. With 21 million inhabitants, the nation's fourth most populous state has embarked on a massive evacuation and reception operation. More than six million people have been asked to leave their homes and tens of thousands have sought shelter in the 385 public shelters enabled to prevent a catastrophe.

But with Irma already definitely up on Florida, the maneuverability has become scarce, almost nil. After intense days of preparation, alert and mobilization, the fate is set. It is the turn of the elements. More than 1.3 million people have run out of electricity and are feared by massive flooding. "Look at your neighbors, your family. Now it's all up to us, "said Governor Rick Scott.

The course of the hurricane, although still susceptible of variation, affects especially sensitive areas. The Cayos archipelago inaugurated the attack. With a long history of hurricanes and disasters, the last in 1998 with Georges, his exposure to the winds and the sea has been a perfect victim. Whipped by bursts of 215 kilometers per hour and under intense swell, the islets were largely flooded and three people died in traffic accidents.

Already on the peninsula, the hurricane is expected to travel the west coast. Long urbanizations that like islands of happiness extend towards the north creating a thriving pole of development in which the opulence is mixed with the zones occupied by the immigrants dedicated to the field and the construction.

In this strip, there are at least two points susceptible to devastation. The first is the city of Naples, whose ring is the destination of thousands of retirees. Wealthy people, most voters of Trump and with a special predilection for golf. And the second, it would be Tampa and its area of influence: more than four million inhabitants.

The fear in the fringe is that Irma raises sea level up to four meters and leave thousands of houses under water. A terrible scenario that would bring death and leave thousands of families homeless who have not secured their homes.

"My house is worth more than any millionaire compensation, boy. I am that house," says Naples neighbor Peter Akey, 64, tanned and silver-haired. Also worried are John Flaherty, 75, and his wife Joanne. A retired Boston retired couple in Naples, they own a "manufactured" home in a port with a small boat. Before the hurricane, they have gone to a hotel. What worries them most is their home, but it would also be a shame to lose their boat. "Let's see if the one upstairs gets up in the morning and decides to save my little boat from the eye of the hurricane," he joked. They left home quickly this Saturday morning and brought what they consider "basic." "Some flip-flops,

The ultimate scope of destruction is an enigma. Only with the passage of the hours will be known how far the blow of the hurricane. The measures taken have been multiple and the alerts intense. The cost in human lives may be lower than in other similar catastrophes. With Andrew, in 1992, 65 people died, 65,000 homes were lost and damages exceeded 26,000 million dollars. Irma's balance sheet will be late. But now you can already feel its devastating effect