Hurricane Irma has been
upgraded to a powerful category four as warnings have been issued for
several Caribbean islands in preparation for the storm.
Warnings have been
issued for the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St
Kitts and Nevis, St Martin, Sint Maarten, St Barthelemy, Saba and St
Eustatius. It means that hurricane conditions are expected in the next
36 hours.
A hurricane watch also is in effect for some of the
more populous parts of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe,
British Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands, meaning that hurricane
conditions are possible within 48 hours.
The US state of Florida and Puerto Rico have also declared state of emergency.
BBC News