Hurricane season is upon us, and so far, it's been a bad one. Officially for 2017, the Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and went until November 30. Since June 1, there have been twelve named storms, and four of those became hurricanes.
Just last week, Hurricane Harvey hit the state of Texas. The category four hurricane caused at least 60 deaths and over $180 billion in damages. It's a long road ahead for some areas of Texas as they rebuild and recover from this catastrophic storm.
Hurricane Irma on the move
Now all eyes are on Hurricane Irma.
Another monster storm, this category 5 hurricane barreled through some of the northern Caribbean islands on Wednesday. So far, three deaths have been confirmed. According to Antigua and Barbuda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, close to 90% of Barbuda has been destroyed. The island of Barbuda is home to around 1,600 people. It's known for its beautiful pink sand beaches but isn't a huge vacation destination.
Irma also made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Of the nearly 3.4 million people who live there, It's been reported that there are 600,000 without power and 50,000 without water. President Trump reached out to the governor of Puerto Rico to let him know that help will be available.
The President also declared a state of emergency on the island and in the state Florida.
Speaking of Florida, that is where Hurricane Irma is projected to strike next. Those tracking the storm say that Irma will hit the sunshine state sometime this weekend. There is a mandatory evacuation for all of those in the Florida Keys, and more mandatory evacuations will likely be put into place once Irma's path is better known.
Hurricane Allen
Hurricane Irma is a near record breaking storm. With sustained winds of 185 mph, Irma is one of the strongest storms on record in the Atlantic. The only other hurricane that was stronger than Irma was Hurricane Allen. Allen struck in August of 1980 with wind speeds reaching 190 mph.
The category 5 storm that was Allen hit St.
Lucia, Haiti, Mexico and the southern area of Texas. Nearly 250 people were killed, and damages from the historic hurricane exceeded $1 billion.
The American Red Cross
The Red Cross has received an unprecedented amount of donations to assist those in need after Hurricane Harvey. They are also now taking donations to help the people who need and will need assistance after Hurricane Irma. The monetary donations that they receive are used to provide food, shelter, and emergency support.