Hurricane Irma is reaching frightening speed as it heads towards the Caribbean and Florida
States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Hurricane Irma is continuing to grow and pick up speed as it travels westwards to the northeastern Caribbean and on to the US.
It is headed towards the Leeward Islands while a Hurricane Watch is in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts, and Nevis, Saba, St Eustatius, and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy.
The storm’s centre was forecast to move near or over the northern Leeward Islands late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
In the US, Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency to prepare for widespread evacuations.
US President Donald Trump has pledged support for the state if disaster strikes.
States of emergency have also been declared in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands where they are expecting four to eight inches (10-20 cms) of rain and winds of 40-50 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello activated the National Guard, cancelled classes for Tuesday and declared a half-day of work.
