Irma - live updates: At least three dead in Florida as storm heads north
Officials order people to flee historic storm, which has killed at least 36 people as it devastated parts of the Caribbean
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Your support makes all the difference.Hurricane Irma has pummeled Florida from coast-to-coast with winds up to 130mph, flooding homes and boats, knocking out power to millions of people and toppling massive construction cranes over the Miami skyline.
The 400-mile-wide (640-kilometer-wide) storm blew ashore in the mostly cleared-out Florida Keys, then marched up its western coast, its punishing winds extending clear across to Miami and West Palm Beach on the Atlantic side.
Irma, which has killed at least 28 people after pushing through the Caribbean, was considered a life-threatening danger in Florida as well, and could inflict a natural disaster causing billions of dollars in damage to the third-most-populous US state.
While Irma raked Florida's Gulf Coast, forecasters warned that the entire state was in danger because of the sheer size of the storm.
In one of the largest US evacuations, nearly seven million people in the Southeast were warned to seek shelter elsewhere, including 6.4 million in Florida alone.
Residents and holidaymakers were ordered to stay indoors until the storm had passed, with many Brits left holed up in apartments or hotel rooms.
About 30,000 people heeded orders to leave the Keys as the storm closed in, but an untold number refused, in part because, to many storm-hardened residents, staying behind in the face of danger is a point of pride.
fter leaving Florida, a weakened Irma is expected to push into Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and beyond. A tropical storm warning was issued for the first time ever in Atlanta, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the sea.
President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for Florida, opening the way for federal aid.
Hurricane Irma was losing strength as its centre moved toward the northwestern coast of the Florida Peninsula and was forecast to weaken to a tropical storm during the day and to a tropical depression by Tuesday afternoon, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Irma, once ranked as one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, was about 60 miles (100km) north of Tampa, Florida, carrying maximum sustained winds of 75mph (120kmph), the centre said in its latest advisory.
Irma's center would cross the eastern Florida Panhandle into southern Georgia on Monday afternoon, then move through southwestern Georgia and eastern Alabama on Monday evening and Tuesday, the NHC forecast.
This picture, from meteorologist Eric Holthaus, captures the scale of Hurricane Irma.
This is the National Weather Service's rainfall forecast for the next two days.
The British Virgin Islands need their version of a Marshall plan, Richard Branson has said.
In a blog post, the Virgin founder wrote: "As you can see from the photos, much of the buildings and vegetation on Necker has been destroyed or badly damaged.
"We felt the full force of the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Ocean. But we are very fortunate to have a strong cellar built into Necker's Great House and were very lucky all of our teams who stayed on (the) island during the storm are safe and well.
"This story is about the tens of thousands of people who have lost their homes and their livelihoods."
Sir Richard was writing from Puerto Rico, where he said he is mobilising aid efforts and rebuilding plans for the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the wider Caribbean.
He said he has spent the past two days visiting staff who live on Virgin Gorda and "as many people as possible" to distribute aid, water and supplies.
"We have seen first-hand just how ferocious and unforgiving this storm was," he added.
The entrepreneur said the UK Government has a "massive role to play in the recovery of its territories" through short-term aid and long-term infrastructure spending.
He compared the situation to the US giving funding to western Europe for rebuilding after the Second World War, calling for a "Disaster Recovery Marshall Plan".
Sir Richard signed off his update by saying he has been "overwhelmed by the messages of support sent to those across the region and to myself".
He added: "I've lived in the BVI for a long time and I know this wonderful part of the world and its amazing people will bounce back stronger than ever. Thank you for your continuing support, it means the world to us."
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