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.
Violent winds in Miami have toppled two construction cranes. Nobody has been injured.
BREAKING NEWS
Irma has weakened to a tropical storm as it moves over Florida toward southern Georgia.
The National Guard and local fire rescue teams evacuated more than 120 flooding homes in Orange County, just outside Orlando, as Hurricane Irma moves over Florida.
Trees and power lines were down across town and floods cut off roads to a neighborhood.
As the sun rose in Orlando, many tried to go outside to survey the damage, but authorities warn that conditions remain dangerous and ask that people to abide by the curfew that lasts throughout most of the day.
More than 125,000 customers mostly in coastal and south Georgia are without power after Hurricane Irma crossed over into the state overnight, bringing high winds and rain.
Georgia Power spokeswoman Holly Crawford said the areas with the most outages are Glynn and Chatham counties.
She said the utility company has about 3,400 employees on standby to respond.
Ms Crawford said Georgia Power expects a widespread of damage caused by high winds and fallen trees.
The utility company says it must wait until conditions are safe for damage assessment teams to enter the field and begin the restoration process followed by repair crews, which could take several days.
Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for all 159 counties in Georgia on Sunday. A tropical storm warning was issued for the first time in Atlanta.
Irma has weakened to a tropical storm as it moves over Florida towards southern Georgia.
The storm's maximum sustained winds decreased to near 70mph (110kph).
The US National Hurricane Center said it's expected to weaken to a tropical depression by Tuesday afternoon.
Irma is centered about 105 miles (170 kilometers) north-northwest of Tampa, Florida, and is moving north-northwest near 18mph (30kph).
Irma, formerly a hurricane, has weakened to a tropical storm but is still producing some wind gusts that are near hurricane force, the US National Hurricane Centre has said.
Irma, once ranked as one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, is about 105 miles (170km) north-northwest of Tampa, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 70mph (110km/h), it said.
Good morning. This is Andrew Buncombe in New York taking over the liveblog for the next few hours. Hello and welcome if you're just joining us. We'll be bringing you updates from across Florida, the southeastern states such as Georgia as well as the latest news on how Donald Trump is marshaling federal resources to assist these states. And, of course, we'll have the latest from our reporter, Clark Mindock, who is on the ground in Florida.
The city of Jacksonville, close to the border of Florida and Georgia, is expecting flooding not witnessed since 1846
CNN says that close to six million people in the southeastern US are without power because of Irma
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