Eye of Hurricane Irma reaches South Florida

EFE News Agency - Hurricane Irma made landfall today (10) in the Florida Keys, in the far south of the United States, with winds of up to 215 kilometers per hour (km/h), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. In a special bulletin, issued at 7 am (local time, 8 am in Brasília), the NHC indicated that the northern part of the hurricane's eye reached the Florida Keys, where strong winds have been felt for hours. The information is from the EFE Agency.

Irma, which left a trail of at least 25 dead and considerable material damage in the Caribbean, is located 25 kilometers southeast of Key West and is moving at a speed of 13 km/h.

In Miami, the force of the winds and rain generated by the hurricane has already begun to cause damage this morning. There are flooded streets and fallen trees. The streets, completely empty, are illuminated by the intensity of the lightning, and the strong wind is noticeable in the city's buildings, which are hit by objects that are thrown by the strong gusts of wind.

In Miami Beach, the popular Collins Avenue was also flooded, and there are fears that the effects could be much worse as the hurricane approaches and potentially causes a rise in sea level, which would affect the numerous coastal areas of the region.

Irma's size means that its hurricane-force winds extend up to 130 kilometers from its center, and tropical storm-force winds can be felt up to 350 kilometers away.