Hurricane Irma Hits the U.S.; Power Outages Affect Tens of Thousands of Homes in Florida

The devastating Hurricane Irma has reached areas along the coast of Florida, USA, and while forecasts indicate its direct movement towards the city of Tampa, it has already resulted in power outages for over 190,000 homes in Florida. The first area in the U.S. coast hit by Irma is the Florida Keys, a coral archipelago at the southernmost part of North America, where at least 29,000 homes have lost power. Current estimates show that the intensity of Hurricane Irma has decreased; however, its winds, reaching speeds close to 200 kilometers per hour, have swept through Cuba. Despite the current estimates indicating a reduction in the storm's power, there remain significant concerns about damage and destruction caused by strong winds and heavy rain, particularly the impact on residential areas and popular beaches in Florida. The U.S. Storm Center reports that the eye of Irma is moving away from the coast of Cuba and is passing through the U.S. mainland towards the western coast, directly hitting the city of Tampa, which is located on the Gulf of Mexico. Irma, which had a strength of five on the scale (the highest ranking for Atlantic storms), left severe destruction in the Caribbean region and claimed at least 20 lives. The five rating is used for storms with winds exceeding 250 kilometers per hour. Another storm named 'Jose' is following Irma, currently ranked at four in intensity. Jose is expected to follow a similar path as Irma, potentially increasing the current damage and destruction. In this context, the dollar, financial markets, and oil are affected by Hurricane Irma.