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Irma's Wrath

STORM SURGE Waves from Hurricane Irma crash into a pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 10. CHIP SOMODEVILLA—GETTY IMAGES

Millions of people are recovering from Hurricane Irma. The storm slammed several Caribbean islands. It also hit the southern coast of the U.S. Irma made landfall landfall GETTY IMAGES arrival on land after a journey by sea or air (noun) The hot-air balloon made landfall in an open field. on the island of Barbuda on September 6. Then it moved north and west.

The island nations of the Bahamas and Cuba were some of the hardest hit. Wind speeds reached 185 miles per hour. The storm turned streets into rivers. It knocked down trees and tossed boats onto land.

Irma made landfall in Florida just two weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. Harvey flooded streets and put many people in danger. Before Irma hit, Florida governor Rick Scott ordered people to leave their homes and head to safety. But some refused. Power lines came crashing down during the storm. It caused more than 13 million people to lose power. “We will make it through this together,” Scott said.

At press time, the death toll in the Caribbean was 37 people. At least 19 people died in Florida, the state hit hardest by Irma. Skies have cleared. But flooding and power outages are expected to last for weeks.