https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hurricane-irma-pummels-turks-caicos-065835777.htmlHurricane Irma on path to Florida: Storm will 'devastate' US and knock out power 'for days' - latest news9/8/17
Irma, most powerful ever Atlantic hurricane, leaves at least 14 dead
Jose strengthens to category 4 - first time two such hurricanes in Atlantic
Irma hits Turks and Caicos islands as it tears across Caribbean
Bahamas and Cuba next as RAF sends aid planes to region
Irma to 'devastate' US and knock out power in Florida 'for days'
Region faces new threat from Hurricane Jose in same path
From Donald Trump to Johnny Depp: the affected celebrities
Island by island: How Irma brought havoc to paradise
Dispatch: Islanders save children and pray for deliverance
Foreign Office hotline for people affected: 020 7008 0000
Hurricane Irma will "devastate" the United States and knock out power in Florida for several days, an emergency response chief has warned, as the storm continued to tear a trail of devastation through the Caribbean.
The RAF has sent several aid planes to the region after the British territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands was "pummelled" by howling winds of up to 175mph and 20ft waves early on Friday.
Irma is now tracking a path down the coast of Cuba towards the Bahamas, where it is due to reach early on Saturday, before hitting southern Florida on Sunday. The official death toll from the worst ever Atlantic storm is 14, but is expected to rise.
More than 100,000 people might need shelter after the hurricane hits the US, the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned, adding that that Irma is "going to devastate the United States in either Florida or some of the southeastern states".
Meanwhile, extra troops were sent to the devastated holiday island of Saint-Martin on Friday to control serious looting, as three RAF planes began ferrying troops and equipment to hard-hit British territories. UK Marines have also arrived on Anguilla to begin repairing buildings.
As Irma cuts through the Caribbean, two other storms in the region have been upgraded to hurricane status: Katia in the Gulf of Mexico and Jose, which is following Irma in the Atlantic and has some already-battered islands in its expected path. On Friday afternoon, it strengthened to a category four hurricane.
The Red Cross said an estimated 1.2 million people have already been affected by Irma and that figure could rise sharply to 26 million, amid fears disease could spread in areas where drinking water and sanitation services have broken down.
