Hurricane season has arrived in the Atlantic. The Americans have not yet moved away from Harvey, and hurricane Irma is already moving west across the Atlantic. It has already reached the islands of the Caribbean and is likely to hit the American continent by the end of the week. A dangerous situation, to be sure, given that this corner of the United States is still destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.
On the morning of September 5th, Hurricane Irma was classified as Category 5, meaning it was considered extremely dangerous on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
What Meteorologists Say About Hurricane Irma
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has warned Americans that the hurricane will be accompanied by life-threatening wind, storm surge and precipitation. The maximum continuous wind energy is expected to reach speeds of 280 kilometers per hour.
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Hurricane Irma is currently traveling across the Atlantic at a speed of 22 km / h. It passed the northern leeward islands in the West Indies on late Tuesday and early Wednesday, and as expected reached the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on the same day. Experts believe that he will not appear in Florida until Saturday.
Given the threat to human life, authorities have declared a state of emergency in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, as well as several other islands in the Caribbean.
How the population prepares for a hurricane
Numerous publications have already appeared on social media regarding long queues in stores and empty shelves, as local residents try to stock up on water, food, batteries, generators and other goods necessary for survival. Long-term power outages have begun on many Caribbean foundations, especially Puerto Rico.
Expert opinion and government readiness
As for the scale of damage in the Caribbean and the United States, it is still difficult to judge.
However, experts are concerned that the authorities are now trying to cope with the chaos caused by Hurricane Harvey, which has destroyed everything in its path in the past few weeks. So the last thing the US needs right now is another hurricane.
This hurricane could be another survival test for America's East Coast. In addition, Hurricane Irma will be able to test the readiness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies to ensure the safety of people in a situation when two hurricanes hit the same territory in a short time.
Anna Pismenna
