颶風艾瑪已造成至少7人喪生
The center of powerful Hurricane Irma passed just north of Puerto Rico overnight and was set to go through the waters near the Dominican Republic and Haiti later Thursday while hitting all three with its powerful winds and rain.
By Thursday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center expects the storm will close in on the Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas.
Irma killed at least one person in Barbuda and six people in St. Martin after rolling over those islands as a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 295 kilometers per hour. The NHC says Irma will remain a Category 4 or 5 storm for the next few days.
About 1 million people are without power in Puerto Rico, and the head of the power company on the U.S. territory said it could be four to six months before service is totally restored.
U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, which has been struggling to maintain its infrastructure in the midst of a financial crisis. The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts on the island.
Barbuda took a direct hit from Irma, which left behind what Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne called a "really horrendous situation." Browne said nearly every building was damaged.
Barbuda also faces the potential of being hit by Hurricane Jose later this week. That storm, which is not as strong as Irma, is forecast to pass near the northern Leeward Islands Saturday before curving north of the path that Irma has followed.
Saturday is the time Irma is expected to be affecting the U.S. state of Florida, still as a major hurricane. The latest forecast track issued by the NHC showed Irma going near Miami and up the state's east coast. Hurricane watches are expected to be posted for the state Thursday.
Officials in South Florida have already ordered people to evacuate coastal areas. Gas stations and grocery stores saw long lines Wednesday as people either fled to a safer area or stocked up supplies to ride out the storm.
Florida Governor Rick Scott told people to prepare now and not ignore mandatory evacuation orders. "You can rebuild your homes, but you cannot rebuild your life," Scott said.颶風艾瑪風眼夜間穿過波多黎各北面，星期四稍晚將進入多米尼加共和國和海地附近水域，給這三個地方帶來狂風暴雨。
美國國家颶風中心預計，艾瑪星期四晚上將逼近特克斯和凱科斯以及巴哈馬南部。
每小時持續風速高達295公里的5級颶風艾瑪造成巴布達一人喪生，聖馬丁也有6人喪生。國家颶風中心說，在接下來的幾天內，艾瑪的颶風級別會保持在4級或5級的水平。
波多黎各有大約100萬人停電，當地電力公司負責人說，全面恢復供電可能需要4到6個月。
美國總統川普早些時候宣佈，波多黎各進入緊急狀態。波多黎各正面臨經濟危機，基礎設施的維護工作本來就跟不上。川普的宣佈等於是授權美國聯邦緊急事務署協調救災努力。
巴布達受到颶風艾瑪重創，安提瓜和巴布達總理布朗說，“情況實在很可怕”。布朗說，島上幾乎所有建築都遭到了破壞。
巴布達本週晚些時候可能還會受到颶風何塞的襲擊。何塞不如艾瑪強勁，預計星期六將經過背風羣島北端。
星期六也是颶風艾瑪預計抵達美國南部佛羅里達州的日子。美國國家颶風中心的最新追蹤顯示，艾瑪將會出現在邁阿密附近，屆時依然是強勁颶風，然後沿佛羅里達東海岸北上。颶風中心估計星期四就會對佛羅里達發出颶風警告。
佛羅里達州南部的政府官員已經下令海岸地區居民疏散。加油站和超市星期三都大排長龍，大家要麼逃往安全地區，要麼囤積物資，等待風暴的離去。
佛羅里達州州長斯科特告誡大家，現在就要做好準備，不要對必須撤離的命令充耳不聞。斯科特州長說：“你可以重建家園，但是不能創建你的生命。”
