12 deaths have been recorded in the United States due to Irma's aftermath, according to ABC News. Residents are now grappling with flooded streets and power outages. Looting incidences have also been witnessed. CCTV cameras in a sports store and a pawn shop helped authorities arrest nine looters in Fort Lauderdale. Losses from the storm are now estimated to be worth more than $20 billion.
Florida
In Florida, buildings were blacked-out, trees were shuttered, and streets flooded as Irma headed Northwards. According to the New York Times, more than nine million Florida residents were left without electricity.
It will take several weeks to restore power supply to all residents, according to the chief executive of a major Florida utility company. Medical facilities had no power supplies, although utility companies made the restoration of electricity service to such services a priority. 36 hospitals in Florida were closed on Monday night, while 54 others were operating with backup generators according to the Florida Department of Health. The storm worst impacted the Florida Keys. Gov. Rick Scott told reporters that he saw boats washed offshore and trailers that were overturned. He also described the scenes as "horrible." The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression storm on late Monday as it approached Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.
Florida residents are now worried about electrocution when returning to their homes. Water had reached up to six feet in Central Florida as Orange County Fire Rescue crews and National Guard troops rescued about 150 residents and pets.
Georgia
In Georgia, a 50-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on his house, a woman died when a tree fell on her car, and another 62-year-old man was found under the debris of a roof shed.
Flights were canceled at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while bus and rail services were limited. Authorities also warned people against using utilities such as showers since the sewage system was blocked. 1.5 million Georgian residents were left without power. Fire fighters rescued people from homes after trees fell on them due to winds that were as high as 112k/ph.
Authorities have also imposed a daytime curfew to the 112,000 residents of Lowndes County.
South Carolina
Most residents of Isle of Palms in South Carolina defied evacuation efforts because they predicted that the storm would move westwards. Isle of Palms Mayor Dick Cronin estimated that about half the island’s roads were impassable and partially submerged. National Weather Service expects 4 inches of rain to fall in the area. 250,000 people were left without power in South Carolina. The governor of South Carolina urged residents not to drive on the streets because some roads were closed. One resident told ABC News that the area was "hazardous" because electricity wires were down and that the whole area was Filled With Water.
