On many islands, violent winds had ripped roofs or facades off homes and businesses, tossing cars and even shipping containers aside like matchsticks. So far, 1.2 million people have been affected by Irma, the International Red Cross said. Insurance officials in Paris believe the cost of storm damage on France's Caribbean islands to be well over 200 million euros ($240 million). - Tourists evacuated -======================Irma also laid waste to tiny Barbuda which suffered "absolute devastation," with up to 30 per cent of properties demolished, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said. As Irma cut through the Caribbean, two other storms in the region were upgraded to hurricane status: Jose in the Atlantic Ocean and Katia in the Gulf of Mexico.

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 08, 2017 07:52 UTC