In an attempt to limit loss of life and injury, about one million people were evacuated before the storm, including tens of thousands of tourists. Still, the storm and its after-effects killed 10 people and caused monumental physical damage. No major injuries were reported outside of the fatalities.

Storm surges partially engulfed northern villages and left entire communities homeless. Trees and telegraph poles collapsed throughout the island, making communication with remote towns increasingly difficult. In Havana, the streets flooded up a street about six blocks from the shore that people often use as a reference point in the city. At the shore, water and debris came over a seawall and contributed to the devastation.

Street flooding prompted emergency services to go from home to home on boats to rescue the elderly and sick. Havana’s cherished neighborhood of Vedado was underwater for days. Additional damage included large power outages in Havana and in the central province of Camaguey. It could take weeks for power to be restored, and the government says it is working around the clock to restore major transmission and power lines.

Despite the damage in Havana, the storm only skimmed the city. The cities under the eye of the storm, Caibarién and Cayo Coco, experienced more extensive devastation. The roof of the international airport in Cayo Coco caved in during the storm.

The aid and relief efforts will take weeks, if not months, to mitigate the devastation. Food and water are in low supply; the United Nations’ preliminary report suggested that 3.1 million Cubans did not have running water after the storm. As of Sept. 18, some 26,000 people were in shelters. The Cuban government agreed to finance 50 percent of the cost of materials to rebuild or repair homes Irma damaged, yet the details of this arrangement are unclear and could leave significant cost on the victims of the hurricane.

The Cuban government has refused aid from large, American-based charity organizations in the past, for political reasons, so little U.S.-based aid is available to Cuba. Cuba’s main need is food. However, the Cuban government would need to approve any food shipments from American organizations. To receive aid from the U.S., Cuba must request help, which the nation has yet to do. The American organizations Catholic Charities and the Cuban American National Foundation are raising funds to help Cuba, but the strict travel restrictions make other kinds of aid difficult. Because of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, the island is not able to join the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, both of which would provide infrastructure loans.

Venezuela’s government sent 7.3 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba. The U.N. is providing large amounts of food, roofs, mattresses and other necessities

Photo Courtesy of ABC News.

On Sept. 6, the hurricane reached its maximum wind speed of 185 miles per hour as it impacted the coast of Barbuda. It maintained intensity while causing damage to the islands of Saint Martin, Ginger Island and Tortola in the BVI that same day. It continued to strike the BVI before moving to the Florida coast Sept. 10, despite being weakened into a Category 4 hurricane Sept. 8. Irma decreased to a Category 2 hurricane once it hit Naples, Fla. Sept. 11. It regressed to tropical depression as it crossed the Alabama-Georgia border towards Mississippi. The depression moved northwest from Sept. 14 to Sept. 15. It collapsed on that day, leaving behind damage and intensity that has not been experienced since Hurricane Katrina.

The hurricane left damages that are estimated to be above $62.7 billion dollars in total. The U.S. reported damages that amounted to over $50 billion, while Cuba, Saint Martin and the BVI reported damage estimates of $2.2 billion, $2.28 billion and $1.4 billion dollars, respectively. In the U.S. six million homes were left without power and an estimated 39 people have died.

Nationwide, areas that were largely affected include the Straits of Florida, the Florida Keys, Key West, Naples and Tampa, Fla. Other major areas affected include Charleston, S.C., Savannah, Ga. and the Georgia Coast. The Straits of Florida suffered power outages and the Florida Keys suffered from major damage. The remaining areas of Florida faced a loss of power as a result of heavy flooding. South Carolina and Georgia mainly experienced power outages and destruction of homes as a result of flying debris.

The response to Irma brought French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Member of Parliament Boris Johnson to offer aid and support to their respective territories. U.S. President Donald Trump visited Florida to survey the damage but denied that it was a result of climate change. British Prime Minister Teresa May did not travel to U.K. territories and was criticized.

The overall international response to Irma proved the resilience of European nations while stressing the need to talk about the global dangers of climate change. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mobilized relief workers and supplies to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. As of Sept. 15, FEMA workers went to Florida to help repair the damage, prepare for future hurricanes and serve as searchers that have so far saved over one thousand lives.

FEMA went to the areas listed above to repair houses as well as hand out supplies. They also provided Florida residents with emergency money to rebuild houses and other property. They transported food, water and generators to the other affected states and areas outside the U.S., most notably Puerto Rico and the BVI.

Hurricane Irma further stressed the need for early preparation as well as information distribution to prepare for and respond to hurricanes.

Photo courtesy of ABC News.