VIDEO; Here Are The Latest Updates On Hurricane Irma’s Path Of Destruction

Here Are The Latest Updates On Hurricane Irma’s Path Of Destruction

Meteorologists say the storm will take an unexpected westward turn, hammering the Tampa area.

By Lydia O’Connor ,  Hayley Miller ,  Hilary Hanson ,  Carla Herreria ,  Lee Moran

09/07/2017 

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MIRAMAR, Fla. ― Florida began to feel the effects of Hurricane Irma early Sunday, with tornado warnings, thunderstorms and heavy winds hitting the southern half of the state.

Irma had weakened slightly as it moved past northern Cuba on Saturday, but regained strength as it approached Florida along a new westward track aimed at the Tampa area instead of Miami. The storm was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday.

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Irma has killed at least 22 people and displaced thousands so far. The storm’s unexpected turn caught residents of Tampa and surrounding areas off guard, The Associated Press reported, noting that Tampa hasn’t weathered a major hurricane since 1921. Irma was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane on Saturday after pummeling much of the Antilles islands as a Category 5 over the last week. The National Hurricane Center expected the storm’s maximum winds to increase again once it moves away from Cuba and towards Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott (R) stressed that people in evacuation zones absolutely had to leave. Roughly 6.3 million people have been told to evacuate, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

“This will cover your house,” Scott said, referring to the 12-foot storm surge expected in some areas. “You will not survive all this storm surge. This is a life-threatening situation.”

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/irma-turks-caicos-bahamas_us_59b17f17e4b0dfaafcf63a78

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