A record-breaking hurricane is causing death and destruction in the Caribbean. Hurricane Irma devastated the islands of Barbuda and St. Martin. In Barbuda, about 95 per cent of buildings were damaged. The Prime Minister said: "It's absolute devastation. The island is literally under water….Barbuda is barely habitable." There is also massive destruction on St. Martin. An official said the focus was for people to, "get access to food and drinking water".
Hurricane Irma is a category 5 storm – the strongest on the 1-5 scale. It is the strongest ever recorded east of the Caribbean. Irma has had wind speeds close to 300kph for more than 24 hours. It is over 1,200km wide. It is likely to hit Florida on Saturday morning. Florida officials have ordered people to evacuate the southern part of the state. Residents are getting ready for winds of up to 300kph. There will also be huge and damaging storm surges.