Press. voanews.com
Still reeling
from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, the East and Gulf coasts of
the U.S. are warily eyeing Irma, which late Monday developed into a Category 4
storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters issued hurricane
warnings Monday for the Leeward Islands and a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands.
Emergency
officials in the Caribbean warned that Irma could dump up to 25 centimeters of
rain, unleash landslides and flash floods, and generate waves of up to 7 meters
as it gets closer. "We're looking at Irma as a very significant
event," Ronald Jackson, executive director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Management Agency, said by phone. "I can't recall a tropical cone
developing that rapidly into a major hurricane prior to arriving in the central
Caribbean.''
It is not clear
if Irma will make landfall on the U.S. mainland, but the NHC warned that there
was a distinct possibility it would impact the Florida Keys and the Florida
Peninsula by the weekend. Meanwhile, Harvey, which caused mass flooding and
devastation in Texas and Louisiana, has moved away from the U.S.
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