The Death Toll from Irma Reaches 'At Least 40'; Florida Still Without Power

As the remnants of Hurricane Irma move northwest across the United States with reduced intensity, media reports indicate that the death toll has reached 'at least 40'. Meanwhile, AFP reports that on Tuesday, September 12, millions of people in Florida are still without power. Irma made landfall in Florida on Sunday, September 10. Although the storm's intensity rating had decreased to Category 3, it wasn't long before the winds picked up speed again, raising it back to Category 4. Atlantic hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which has a total of seven classifications: from five (highest) to one, and then tropical storms. A few hours after Irma entered the U.S., its intensity decreased again, and it is now classified as a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum winds of 180 km/h. The total number of victims from this devastating storm, which at times reached speeds of 210 km/h, increased to 'at least 40' after the Cuban government announced that ten more people had lost their lives in the country over the past weekend. Previous reports indicated at least 24 deaths at the beginning of the storm's path in the Caribbean region. No reports of potential victims in Florida have been published yet. Currently, according to the National Hurricane Center in the U.S., the wind speed of Irma has decreased to 56 km/h. Since the last hours of Monday, the classification of Hurricane Irma has dropped, and meteorologists now describe it as a tropical storm. Meanwhile, in the Caribbean islands severely affected by Irma, four countries—Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the U.S.—have increased their speed of aid to the residents. On the other hand, as reported by AFP, more than six and a half million people in Florida, known as the Sunshine State, are still without power. Reuters reports that several major airports in Florida, including Miami International Airport, which had suspended all services prior to Irma, are set to resume limited operations starting Tuesday. The threat of Irma led to thousands of flights being canceled across Florida and the U.S., and millions of people were evacuated from their homes; media describe this process as 'the largest evacuation of residents in U.S. history.' In this context, the estimated damage from Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in the U.S. is $290 billion.