Hurricane Irma ripped through Marco Island, leaving a trail of chaos and disorder in her wake. “Naples and Marco Island registered the strongest winds during the storm, topping out at 142 mph in Naples,” CBS News reported.
Five deaths have been reported in Florida in connection with Irma thus far, and at least 2 million people are without power. Two of the deaths include a Florida sheriff’s deputy and corrections officer whom were both killed after crashing head-on Sunday morning during Hurricane Irma in Hardee County, the Miami Herald reported.
ABC reported “one person was found dead in a home in Shark Key on Sunday.” In addition the station reported two deaths in Monroe County, where the Florida Keys are located.
See video footage and photos of the devastation left behind in Marco Island below:
A dolphin was rescued following Irma on the island Monday:
“Before and After pics only a block away from my parents’ home ? #marcoisland #hurricaneimra,” @Breyoncee tweeted:
Casualties are feared on the island:
Flooding on Marco Island is massive and treacherous:
@connorduffynews recorded “difficult conditions” riding into the Naples/Marco Island area:
One island resident filmed a fish swimming casually down the street:
Read on for more videos and photos of the devastation:
The storm made its first landfall in the U.S. in Cudjoe Key around 9:10 a.m.
That news was announced by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), which wrote, “Hurricane #Irma makes landfall at Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys.”
The NHC also wrote:
“The center of Hurricane Irma made landfall at Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys at 9:10 am EDT. A gust to 106 mph (171 km/h) was just reported at the National Key Deer Refuge in Big Pine Key.
Storm surges are expected to be anywhere from one to fifteen feet, especially along the west coast area, all the way from Marco Island to the Florida Keys. The storm surge could be the biggest obstacle from the tropical storm, and is the biggest reason for hurricane-related deaths by drowning.