FEMA: Hurricane Irma Destroyed One-Quarter of Homes in the Florida Keys

(KEY LARGO, Fla.) — Search-and-rescue teams made their way into the Florida Keys’ farthest reaches Tuesday, while crews labored to repair the single washed-out highway connecting the islands and rush aid to Hurricane Irma’s victims. Federal officials estimated one-quarter of all homes in the Keys were destroyed. Two days after Irma roared into the island chain with 130 mph winds, residents were allowed to return to the parts of the Keys closest to Florida’s mainland. But the full extent of the death and destruction there remained a question mark because communications and access were cut off in places. “It’s going to be pretty hard for those coming home,” said Petrona Hernandez, whose concrete home on Plantation Key with 35-foot walls was unscathed, unlike others a few blocks away. “It’s going to be devastating to them.” Elsewhere in Florida, life inched closer to normal, with some flights again taking off, many curfews lifted and major theme parks reopening. Cruise ships that extended their voyages and rode out the storm at sea began returning to port with thousands of passengers. The number of people without electricity in the late-summer heat dropped to around 10 million — half of Florida’s population. Officials warned it could take 10 days or more for power to be fully restored. About 110,000 remained in shelters across Florida. Seven deaths in Florida have been blamed on Irma, along with four in Sou...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Florida natural disaster onetime Source Type: news