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Tag: florida

  • Hurricane Milton makes devastating landfall on Florida’s west coast

    Hurricane Milton makes devastating landfall on Florida’s west coast

    Hurricane Milton marched across central Florida on Thursday after making landfall on the state’s west coast hours earlier, whipping up deadly tornadoes, destroying homes, and knocking out power to nearly 2 million customers.

    The storm made landfall around 8:30 p.m. EDT (0030 GMT) on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kph) near Siesta Key, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

    By 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT), wind speeds had reduced to 105 mph (165 kph), dropping Milton to a Category 2 hurricane, nonetheless still considered extremely dangerous.

    The eye of the storm was 75 miles (120 km) southwest of Orlando in the center of the state.

    A flash flood emergency was in effect for the Tampa Bay area including the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, the hurricane center said, with St. Petersburg already receiving 16.6 inches (422 mm) of rain on Wednesday.

    The eye of the storm landed in Siesta Key, a barrier island town of some 5,400 off Sarasota about 60 miles (100 km) south of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which is home to more than 3 million people.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis said he hoped Tampa Bay, once seen as the potential bull’s eye, could dodge major damage and that the worst of the predicted storm surge could be avoided thanks to the landfall coming before the high tide.

    Forecasters said seawater could still rise as high as 13 feet (4 meters).

    DeSantis reported Milton had also spawned at least 19 tornadoes caused damage in numerous counties, destroying around 125 homes, most of them mobile homes.

    “At this point, it’s too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to shelter in place and just hunker down,” DeSantis said upon announcing the landfall.

    At least two deaths were reported at a retirement community following a suspected tornado in Fort Pierce on the eastern coast of Florida, NBC News reported, citing St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson. His department did not immediately respond to a request for details.

    Pearson estimated 100 homes were destroyed in the county where some 17 tornadoes touched down, NBC said.

    More than 1.8 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

    The storm was expected to cross the Florida peninsula overnight and emerge into the Atlantic, still with hurricane force, on Thursday.

    Once past Florida, it should weaken over the western Atlantic, possibly dropping below hurricane strength but still posing a storm-surge danger on the state’s Atlantic Coast.

    In a state already battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, as many as two million people were ordered to evacuate, and millions more live in the projected path of the storm.

    Much of the southern U.S. experienced the deadly force of Hurricane Helene as it cut a swath of devastation through Florida and several other states.

    Both storms are expected to cause billions of dollars in damage.

    While human evacuees jammed the highways and created gasoline shortages, animals including African elephants, Caribbean flamingos and pygmy hippos were riding out the storm at Tampa’s zoo.

    Nearly a quarter of Florida’s gasoline stations were out of fuel on Wednesday afternoon.

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency had moved millions of liters (gallons) of water, millions of meals and other supplies and personnel into the area.

    None of the additional aid will detract from recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene, the agency’s administrator, Deanne Criswell, said earlier on Wednesday.

    Trucks have been running 24 hours a day to clear mounds of debris left behind by Helene before Milton potentially turned them into dangerous projectiles, DeSantis said.

    About 9,000 National Guard personnel were deployed in Florida, ready to assist recovery efforts, as were 50,000 electricity grid workers in anticipating of widespread power outages, DeSantis said.

    Search-and-rescue teams were prepared to head out as soon as the storm passes, working through the night if needed, DeSantis said.

    “It’s going to mean pretty much all the rescues are going to be done in the dark, in the middle of the night, but that’s fine. They’re going to do that,” DeSantis added.

  • Malaria outbreak in the US after two decades raises concerns

    Malaria outbreak in the US after two decades raises concerns

    Health officials in the United States have issued a warning following the identification of five cases of malaria in Florida and Texas, involving individuals with no recent travel history overseas.

    This development has sparked concerns about the potential for local transmission of the life-threatening disease within the country.

    The cases have been concentrated in Sarasota County, Florida, where four instances of locally transmitted malaria have been confirmed since May. Another case has been identified in Cameron County, Texas.

    These occurrences mark the first instances of local transmission within the US since 2003, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reassured the public that all affected patients have received appropriate treatment and are currently in the recovery phase.

    However, investigations are underway to determine any potential links between the cases in Florida and Texas after it was discovered that at least two individuals, one in Florida and another in Texas, had spent extended periods outdoors, raising concerns about possible exposure to infected mosquitoes.

    Furthermore, the CDC has issued a warning about the heightened risk of “imported malaria cases” as the summer travel season unfolds.

    Travellers are urged to exercise increased vigilance and take preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection.

    Malaria, a dangerous yet curable disease, is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites from infected mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite.

    However, it can also be transmitted through infected blood during transfusions, organ transplants, or from a pregnant mother to her fetus.

    The five cases reported in Florida and Texas involve the P. vivax malaria strain. While this strain is generally associated with milder infections compared to other strains, it can lead to recurring episodes of malaria as the parasites lay dormant in the liver and reemerge months or even years later.

    An associate professor of pathology and international health at Case Western Reserve University Brian Grimberg, emphasized the need for heightened awareness without succumbing to panic.

    Malaria is typically not a concern for Americans unless they travel abroad, although the disease was once a significant public health issue in the United States before its official eradication in 1970.

    To mitigate the risk of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, the CDC has urged the public to take preventive measures such as applying insect repellent, installing screens on windows and doors, and regularly eliminating stagnant water sources.

    Travellers heading overseas are advised to pack bug spray and consider accommodations with appropriate protection, such as air conditioning, window and door screens, or mosquito nets.

    Additionally, the CDC recommends that hospitals maintain access to malaria tests and stock up on treatments, while public health officials should devise comprehensive plans for rapid identification, prevention, and control to effectively respond to any potential outbreaks.

  • CASANOVA SCAMMER: Fake doctor sentenced to 9 years for dating scam

    CASANOVA SCAMMER: Fake doctor sentenced to 9 years for dating scam

    A Florida man, Brian Brainard Wedgeworth, 47, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding more than 30 women of more than $1.3 million by pretending to be a doctor on online dating services.

     

    The prosecutors pointed out that the convict, who formerly lived in the Florida capital city of Tallahassee and in Center Point, Alabama, used 10 different aliases as part of the scheme, according to court records.

     

    “Our citizens should not be preyed upon by fraudsters who steal through overtures of affection,” U.S. Attorney Jason Cody said in a news release.

     

    Wedgeworth made promises to the women to con them into sending him money, jewelry and watches, according to court documents.

     

    The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service and the Internal Revenue Service, and authorities said they are searching for any additional victims.

     

    Wedgeworth’s sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. He will also be required to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution.

     

    The convict was said to have the following aliases (a/k/a “Dr. Brian Anderson,” a/k/a “Dr. Anthony Watkins,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Adams,” a/k/a “Dr. Edward Chen,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Chris,” a/k/a “Dr. Chris Williamson,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Christopher Williamson,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Edmonds,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Ammerson,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Lamar Wilson,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Wilson,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Mims,” a/k/a “Dr. Brian Lamar Sims”).

     

    Wedgeworth pleaded guilty today to 25 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering.

     

    The plea was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    CASANOVA SCAMMER: Fake doctor sentenced to 9 years for dating scam
    Brian Brainard Wedgeworth

     

    Court documents reflect that between October 2016 and March 2021, Wedgeworth devised a scheme to defraud women he met through online dating forums by falsely representing that he was a physician in order to fraudulently obtain money and property from them.

     

    In so doing, Wedgeworth made promises to the women to induce them to send him money and buy him jewelry and watches. Wedgeworth admitted to causing or intending to cause, a total loss of over $1.3 million to over 30 women who he victimized as a result of his scheme.

     

    “Our citizens should not be preyed upon by fraudsters who steal through overtures of affection,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “With the assistance of our dedicated law enforcement partners, we are committed to investigating and vigorously prosecuting those who engage in all acts of fraud.”

     

    Sentencing in this case was set for August 8, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before the Honorable United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.

     

    Wedgeworth faces up to 20 years in prison on wire fraud and mail fraud counts, up to 10 years in prison on the money laundering counts, and a minimum mandatory sentence of 2 years in prison, consecutive to any other imprisonment imposed, for the aggravated identity theft count.

     

    However, he was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison.

     

    “Rooting out fraudulent schemes furthered by the U.S. Mail, such as romance scams, remains a top priority for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Our agency will continue to investigate those that target innocent individuals and abuse their trust for financial gain,” said Juan A. Vargas, Acting Inspector In Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division.

     

    This case resulted from a joint investigation by the United State Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI).

     

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.

  • Photo: U.S. Governor appoints Nigerian, Joseph Ladapo as Surgeon-General

    Photo: U.S. Governor appoints Nigerian, Joseph Ladapo as Surgeon-General

    Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor, United States of America has appointed a Nigerian-American, Dr Joseph Ladapo, as Florida Surgeon-General and Secretary of the Department of Health.

    DeSantis in a statement posted on the Florida Department of Health website, stated that he was pleased to announce Ladapo for the position.

    “I am pleased to announce that Ladapo will lead the Florida department of health as our state’s next surgeon-general

    “Ladapo comes to us by way of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, with a superb background.”

    According to him, Ladapo has had both a remarkable academic and medical career with a strong emphasis in health policy research.

    The governor said: ” Ladapo will bring great leadership to the department of health, ” thanking both Dr Scott Rivkees and Dr Shamarial Roberson for their hard work on behalf of all Floridians.

    Lieutenant-Governor, Jeanette Nuñez described Ladapo as, “an excellent choice to serve as our next surgeon general.

    “Ladapo has impeccable credentials and a strong vision to effectively serve the people of Florida at the helm of our public health agency.

    “Through his service to our state, we will continue Florida’s work to advance our public health goals,” Nuñez said.

    Ladapo said he is honored to have been chosen by DeSantis to serve as Florida’s next surgeon-general.

    “We must make health policy decisions rooted in data and not in fear.

    “From California, I have observed the different approaches taken by governors across the country and I have been impressed by DeSantis’ leadership and determination,” he said.

    The new surgeon-general said he was impressed by DeSantis’ leadership to ensure that Floridians were afforded all opportunities to maintain their health and wellness, while preserving their freedoms as Americans.

    “It is a privilege to join his team and serve the people of Florida,” he said.

    Ladapo was recently granted a professorship at the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine.

    Prior to joining UF, he served as an associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),caring for hospitalised patients.

    He is a graduate of Wake Forest University, who also holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

  • COVID-19 patient claims hydroxychloroquine saved his life

    COVID-19 patient claims hydroxychloroquine saved his life

    A 52 years old Florida man, Rio Giardinieri, who was down with the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is claiming that yet to be approved antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine saved his life.

    Giardinieri was diagnosed of COVID-19 and pneumonia at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in South Florida, and was put on oxygen in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital.

    He showed symptoms of horrendous back pain, headaches, cough and fatigue for five days after catching the disease, possibly at a conference in New York.

    The Florida man, who is waiting to be discharged from hospital, said doctors told him there was nothing more they could do after more than one week of battling for life.

    Giardinieri said goodbye to his wife and three children on Friday evening, he told Los Angeles’ Fox 11.

    “I was at the point where I was barely able to speak and breathing was very challenging. I really thought my end was there,” he said.

    Giardinieri narrated that in his travail, a friend sent him a message about hydroxychloroquine, and he contacted an infectious disease doctor about the drug.

    “He gave me all the reasons why I would probably not want to try it because there are no trials, there’s no testing, it was not something that was approved.

    “And I said, ‘Look, I don’t know if I’m going to make it until the morning,’ because at that point I really thought I was coming to the end because I couldn’t breathe anymore. He agreed and authorized the use of it and 30 minutes later the nurse gave it to me,” Giardinieri said.

    After about an hour on an IV with the medicine, Giardinieri said, it felt like his heart was beating out of his chest and, about two hours later, he had another episode where he couldn’t breathe.

    He said he was given Benadryl and some other drugs and that when he woke up around 4:45 a.m., it was “like nothing ever happened.”

    He’s since had no fever or pain and can breathe again. Giardinieri said doctors believe the episodes he experienced were not a reaction to the medicine but his body fighting off the virus.

    Giardinieri, the vice president of a company that manufactures cooking equipment for high-end restaurants in Los Angeles, said he had three doses of the medicine Saturday and is hoping to be discharged from the hospital in five days.

    “To me, there was no doubt in mind that I wouldn’t make it until morning. So to me, the drug saved my life,” ,” Giardinieri said.

  • How 11-year-old Emmett Brewer hacked into replica US vote website

    How 11-year-old Emmett Brewer hacked into replica US vote website

    Emmett Brewer, an 11-year-old boy has hacked into a replica of Florida’s election results website in 10 minutes.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Emmett Brewer was able to change names and tallies during a hackers convention, organisers said, stoking concerns about security ahead of nationwide votes.

    The boy was the quickest of 35 children, ages 6 to 17, who all eventually hacked into copies of the websites of six swing states during the three-day Def Con security convention over the weekend, the event said on Twitter on Tuesday.

    The event was meant to test the strength of US election infrastructure and details of the vulnerabilities would be passed onto the states, it added.

    The National Association of Secretaries of State – who are responsible for tallying votes – said it welcomed the convention’s efforts. But it said the actual systems used by states would have additional protections.

    “It would be extremely difficult to replicate these systems since many states utilise unique networks and custom-built databases with new and updated security protocols,” the association said.

    The hacking demonstration came as concerns swirl about election system vulnerabilities before mid-term state and federal elections.

    US President Donald Trump’s national security team warned two weeks ago that Russia had launched “pervasive” efforts to interfere in the November polls.

    Participants at the convention changed party names and added as many as 12 billion votes to candidates, the event said.

    “Candidate names were changed to ‘Bob Da Builder’ and ‘Richard Nixon’s head’,” the convention tweeted.

    The convention linked to what it said was the Twitter account of the winning boy – named there as Emmett Brewer from Austin, Texas.

    A screenshot posted on the account showed he had managed to change the name of the winning candidate on the replica Florida website to his own and gave himself billions of votes.

    The convention’s “Voting Village” also aimed to expose security issues in other systems such as digital poll books and memory-card readers.

     

  • Florida school massacre survivors push lawmakers to ban gun

    Dozens of teenaged survivors of the second deadliest public school shooting in U.S. history on Wednesday marched on Florida’s capital to ask lawmakers to ban sales of assault rifles.

    The teenagers said such rifles that should be banned include the type used in killing the 17 students and educators on Feb. 14.

    Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, became the latest school targeted by a gunman using a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle, which heated up the nation’s long-running debate about gun rights and public safety.

    Dressed in jeans and T-shirts and carrying signs with the slogan “#Neveragain,” survivors of the Feb. 14 mass shooting met with lawmakers in Tallahassee to ask for stricter controls on gun sales.

    Investigators said the assault was carried out by 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz, who purchased an AR-15 nearly a year ago.

    Police have charged Cruz, who had been kicked out of Douglas for disciplinary problems, with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

    “We want to see some common sense gun laws so this will never happen again,” Rachel Padnis, a 16-year-old sophomore from the school near Fort Lauderdale said.

    She and classmates said they were dismayed but undeterred by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature’s Tuesday rebuff of a bid to bring up a bill to block sales of assault rifles.

    President Donald Trump, a strong supporter of gun rights, was due to meet with parents, students and teachers who have been victims of gun violence, including those affected by the Valentine’s Day shooting in Florida.

    The White House meeting comes a day after Trump said his administration would take steps to ban bump stocks, an accessory that enables a rifle to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute.

    A spokeswoman said the administration was open to the idea of setting national age limits on sales of assault rifles.

    Florida state Senator Bill Galvan, slated to be the upper chamber’s next president, has called for a bill to raise the legal age for purchasing assault rifles from 18 to 21, the same as it is for handguns.

    At the Florida capital in Tallahassee, dozens of students packed into a meeting room and peppered Senate President Joe Negron, a Republican, with questions about why individuals should have continued access to assault rifles.

    Negron declined to say whether he would support any specific gun control measures, saying, “That’s an issue we’re going to look at as we work to develop legislation.”

    Trump generally favours a Senate bill on background checks, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday.

    Calls for national student walk-outs and marches in the coming months have gained steam on social media, including the “March for Our Lives” on March 24 in Washington, spearheaded by Douglas students.

    Gun violence on public school and college campuses has become so commonplace in the United States in the last several years that administrators regularly stage drills to train students and staff in the event of a mass shooting.

     

  • Police charge Florida shooter with 17 counts of premeditated murder

    The heavily armed teenager who gunned down students and adults at a Florida high school was charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder, court documents showed.

    Recall that Nikolas Cruz, 19, killed fifteen people in a hail of gunfire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Two others died of their wounds later in hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

     

    Details later…

  • US school shooting: How 19-yr-old killed 17 students in Florida

    No fewer than 17 persons were killed at a Florida high school in the United States of America on Wednesday, after a gunman opened fire, leaving terrified students huddled in their classrooms, texting friends and family for help.

    Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, had left “multiple dead,” with dozens also injured.

    Fourteen people were taken to hospital “with varying degrees of wounds,” Israel told reporters, adding that the school had not yet been totally cleared.
    The suspect — a onetime student at the school who was 19 years old — was arrested without incident in the nearby town of Coral Springs, he said.

    He was identified as Nicolas Cruz, according to various media reports.

    The shooting, one of nearly 20 since the start of the year, will once again throw the spotlight on the epidemic of gun violence in the United States and the ready accessibility of weapons in a country with 33,000 gun-related deaths annually.

    “Just a horrible day for us,” said the superintendent of the county’s school district, Robert Runcie, who spoke of “numerous fatalities.”
    Israel echoed that sentiment.

    “This is a terrible day for Parkland,” he said, speaking of the city of about 30,000 people, located 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Miami.
    “My very own triplets went to that school.”

    The FBI said it was assisting local law enforcement with the investigation.
    Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky told CNN she had spoken to a number of students after the shooting erupted shortly after 2pm (1900 GMT).

    “They were very scared,” she said. “And almost in shock when they came out.”

    Asked about security, the Parkland mayor said a police officer is always stationed at the school and there was a “single point of entry.”

  • ‘This storm will kill you if you don’t leave’ – Florida Governor, Rick Scott warns residents

    Irma trained its sights on Florida and officials warned more than 5 million people that time was running out Friday and ordered them to evacuate ahead of the deadly hurricane as it followed a path that could take it from one end of the state to the other.

    By late Friday, Irma had regained Category 5 strength with winds of 160 mph (260 kph). Forecasters expect the storm to be near the Florida Keys on Sunday morning and approach the state’s southwest coast by that afternoon.

    Forecasters adjusted the storm’s potential track more toward the west coast of Florida, away from the Miami metropolitan area of 6 million people, meaning “a less costly, a less deadly storm,” University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy said.

    Nevertheless, forecasters warned that its hurricane-force winds were so wide they could reach from coast to coast, testing the nation’s third-largest state, which has undergone rapid development and more stringent hurricane-proof building codes in the last decade or so.

    “This is a storm that will kill you if you don’t get out of the way,” National Hurricane Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said. “Everybody’s going to feel this one.”

    Irma killed at least 20 people in the Caribbean and left thousands homeless as it devastated small resort islands known for their warm, turquoise water.

    In Florida, gas shortages and gridlock plagued the evacuations, turning normally simple trips into tests of will. Parts of interstates 75 and 95 north were bumper-to-bumper, while very few cars drove in the southbound lanes.

    “We’re getting out of this state,” said Manny Zuniga, who left his home in Miami at midnight Thursday to avoid the gridlock. “Irma is going to take all of Florida.”

    Despite driving overnight, he still took 12 hours to reach Orlando — a trip that normally takes four hours. From there, he and his wife, two children, two dogs and a ferret were headed to Arkansas.

    In one of the country’s largest evacuations, about 5.6 million people in Florida — more than one-quarter of the state’s population — were ordered to evacuate and another 540,000 were told to leave the Georgia coast. Authorities opened hundreds of shelters for people who did not leave. Hotels as far away as Atlanta filled up with evacuees.

    Florida Governor Rick Scott said people fleeing could drive slowly in the shoulder lane on highways. He hasn’t reversed the southbound lanes because he said they were needed to deliver gas and supplies.

    “If you are planning to leave and do not leave tonight, you will have to ride out this extremely dangerous storm at your own risk,” Scott said.

    Tony Marcellus racked his brain to figure out a way to get his 67-year-old mother and 85-year-old grandfather out of their home five blocks from the ocean in West Palm Beach. He lives 600 miles away in Atlanta. He checked flights but found nothing and rental cars were sold out, so he settled on a modern method of evacuation.

    He hired an Uber to pick them up and drive them 170 miles to Orlando, where he met them to take them to Atlanta. He gave the driver a nice tip.

    “I have peace of mind now,” said Marcellus’ mother, Celine Jean. “I’ve been worried sick for days.”

    Several small, poor communities around Lake Okeechobee in the south-central part of Florida were added to the evacuation list because the lake may overflow — but the governor said engineers expect the protective dike to hold up. Many people in the area said they wouldn’t leave because they either had no transportation or nowhere to go.

    Disney World parks will close early Saturday and remain shuttered through Monday, as will Universal Orlando and Sea World.

    Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he planned for enough space to hold 100,000 people before the storm arrives, although most shelters were only beginning to fill on Friday.

    Hurricane Andrew in 1992 revealed how lax building codes had become in the country’s most storm-prone state, and Florida began requiring sturdier construction. Now, experts say a monstrously strong Irma could become the most serious test of Florida’s storm-worthiness since then.

    Andrew razed Miami’s suburbs with winds topping 165 mph (265 kph), damaging or blowing apart over 125,000 homes. Almost all mobile homes in its path were obliterated. The damage totaled $26 billion in Florida’s most-populous areas. At least 40 people were killed in Florida.

    CoreLogic, a consultant to insurers, estimated that almost 8.5 million Florida homes or commercial properties were at extreme, very high or high risk of wind damage from Irma.

    Police in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Davie said a 57-year-old man who had been hired to install hurricane shutters Thursday morning died after falling about 15 feet (5 meters) from a ladder and hitting his head on a pool deck. The man’s name wasn’t immediately released.

    Forecasters predicted a storm surge of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 meters) above ground level along Florida’s southwest coast and in the Keys. As much as a foot of rain could fall across the state, with isolated spots receiving 20 inches.

    With winds that peaked at 185 mph (300 kph), Irma was once the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the open Atlantic.