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After surveying the aftermath of Irma, Florida governor Damage in the United States was estimated at a minimum of $50 billion. In response to criticism of the French handling of the disaster, 1,000 troops, police, and other emergency workers were sent to Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.On both sides of Saint Martin, desperate conditions combined with food and water shortages in Irma's aftermath led to reports of violence, scavenging, and theft. The hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends November 30. In response, the French government increased its troop deployment to 2,200 and the Dutch government sent more than 600 military and police personnel.On September 12, some residents were allowed to return into the Keys as far as Due mainly to the widespread loss of power, cell phone service was also reduced after battery backup power for cell phone towers ran out and backup generators ran out of fuel.In the days after the hurricane, due to the heavy rainfall, numerous rivers had flooded, including residential areas.Following Irma's passage, a 15 ft (4.6 m) hand-carved wooden canoe was discovered on the banks of the Irma set multiple records for intensity, especially at easterly longitudes, time spent at such an intensity, and its intensity at landfall. Download it here.Here are the latest developments in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus in the Bay Area.Sign up for our free email newsletter with the latest coronavirus headlines, along with other news and weather around the Bay.In these trying times, community is everything. The extremely powerful hurricane continued to intensify, with maximum sustained winds peaking at 180 mph (285 km/h) near 18:00 UTC on September 5. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) began monitoring a tropical wave over western Africa on August 26. Join us in sharing support for all the heroes on the frontlines. All Rights Reserved. "We'll never get in," Jamilla Bartley lamented as she stood in the parking lot.The governor activated all 7,000 members of the Florida National Guard, and 30,000 guardsmen from elsewhere were on standby.Major tourist attractions, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, all prepared to close Saturday. NASA satellite photo of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Everything you need to monitor the tropics in one place. Except the Florida Keys, the total damage Irma caused was not as great as government officials and forecasters had warned. Most of the deaths happened in Florida.Damage in the U.S. due to Irma ranges from 50 billion to 77 billion dollars. Schools and public businesses closed on September 5 and 6. Winds from Hurricane Irma are so strong they sucked the water out of Tampa Bay Sunday morning. Irma became a hurricane and strengthened to a Category 5 in the Atlantic. Data from the Air Force Hurricane Hunters indicate that Irma became a category 4 hurricane by 0600 UTC 10 September when it was about 55 n mi soucentered th-southeast of Key West, Florida. Many people were amazed that for a short period of time the bay was dry.Irma was weakening but still brought damaging winds to our area into the morning hours of Sept. 11.The eye of Irma moved north through Polk County then toward eastern Citrus County before moving to North Florida and Georgia.While we didnât have sustained hurricane force winds here, we did have wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph in our area.There were 21 confirmed tornadoes in Florida. Given its mammoth size and strength and its projected course, it could still prove one of the most devastating hurricanes ever to hit Florida and inflict damage on a scale not seen here in 25 years.It could also test the Federal Emergency Management Agency's ability to handle two crises at the same time.