Hurricane Of Horror

The Caribbean lies in ruins and Florida in the USA licks her wounds after record-smashing Hurricane Irma

- Sandy Cook

HURRICANE Harvey had barely blown itself out when an even more menacing phenomenon was on its way: Irma the Incredible, a record-busting category 5 hurricane packing the kind of power the world hadn’t seen for decades.

First it laid waste to a string of Caribbean islands, tossing boats around like toys and ripping buildings apart before making a beeline for Florida. Authorities didn’t mince their words when it came to Florida residents: get out now or you’re on your own.

By the time the monster hit the Caribbean, Irma had swollen to an area larger than France. The islands and the south of the United States are no stranger to hurricanes. But this was something else.