Here’s How Incredibly Serious Hurricane Irma’s Damage Could Be

Hurricane Irma is considered to be “the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history,” and reports are finally starting to come in outlining just how incredibly serious the amount of damage it could do is.

As Irma bared down on the U.S. Virgin Islands, a citizen of that territory described it by saying, “We’ve all been in hurricanes before, but have never felt anything like this before. It feels seismic, it feels catastrophic,” which was initially reported by the NY Times.

Explaining what she and her friends have been dealing with since the storm hit, she added, “We boarded ourselves in and are just trying to bail water from the floor now. Based on the water we took in, we think there is significant damage to the roof but don’t think it blew off yet. It sounds terrifying out there.”

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the U.S. Virgin Islands Governor, Kenneth Mapp, warned his citizens.

“This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane. It’s not time to get on a surfboard,” Mapp said.

Scroll down to read more about how incredibly serious Hurricane Irma‘s damage could be.

State of Emergency

Irma isn’t expected to hit the continental United States until next week, and states are already declaring a “State of Emergency.”

President Donald Trump has declared “State of Emergency” in Florida, as well as Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.

In response to reports that Irma will make landfall in the Southeast U.S. by this coming weekend, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has himself declared a state of emergency in the coastal Georgia counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh.

Additionally, Governor Deal reportedly issued executive orders that ban gas pump price gouging and waves transportation restrictions for couriers of emergency supplies.

“Onslaught” Winds

Irma hit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda early on Wednesday with winds at an estimated 185 miles per hour.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, officials of the islands warned of the storm’s coming “onslaught” and even ended their statement by saying, “May God protect us all.”

Those incredibly high-powered winds have driven Irma to be categorized as a level 5 Storm, and there’s talk that she could become a 6.

As the storm approaches the U.S., officials have warned that structures — such as high-rise buildings and mobile homes — are much more at risk with the expected high winds.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello addressed the damage of the high-powered winds.

“The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we’ve ever seen. A lot of infrastructure won’t be able to withstand this kind of force,” Rossello said.

Powerless

One of the biggest concerns of Hurricane Irma is how long people could be without power.

In Puerto Rico, officials stated that the island’s electrical grid is fragile and that it could potentially be shut down for multiple months in some areas.

By Wednesday afternoon, the Puerto Rico electric company estimated that around 300,000 people were without power and that due to electric loss over 4,000 people had lost water service.

Over in Antigua, one of the hardest areas hit so far, one of the residents said, “I hear it’s a Cat 5 now and I’m terrified. I had to come back for more batteries because I don’t know how long the current will be off.”

Preparing for Casulties

Most people don’t want to think about the loss of life that a hurricane is capable of, but Irma has already claimed a small handful of casualties and officials are prepared for even more.

As Irma stormed through the French Caribbean, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the three lives lost there.

“We will have victims to lament, and the material damage on the two islands is considerable,” Macron said.

The Governor of Puerto Rico also addressed the potential deaths that Irma could cause by recalling the events of Hurricane Harvey.

“As the history with Harvey states, flooding can become the major cause of death in events of this nature,” Governor Ricky Rosselló said.

Additionally, it’s been reported that the storm has also claimed the life of one person on the island of Anguilla.