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Image taken from a video posted on Facebook by Stefany Santacruz showing the view from her balcony as Hurricane Irma hits the Island of St Maarteen on September 06, 2017
(Photo credit: STEFANY SANTACRUZ/AFP/Getty Image)

Compiled By NAN Editorial Team

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Sept. 6, 2017: Hurricane Irma may be still on a trail of destruction as it slammed into Puerto Rico yesterday afternoon and has the

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Devastation in St. Maarten. (Twitter image)

Bahamas, Cuba and even the Turks & Caicos in its path, but the storm has already been blamed for at least eight deaths.

Six people on the French Caribbean islands of St Martin and St. Barts are dead so far because of the category five storm, Guadeloupe prefect Eric Maire confirmed late Wednesday.

A seventh death was reported in the British Caribbean Island of Anguilla while an eighth death – a two-year-old child – was reported so far in Barbuda which took a direct hit from the eye of the storm early this morning.

That’s according to the island’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne who traveled there by helicopter Wednesday afternoon to access the damage first hand. The Red Cross began collecting donations to help Barbuda Wednesday.

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Cars are blocked by a road flooded by Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017, in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. After making landfall just before 0600 GMT in Barbuda, part of the twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, the hurricane swept on to French-run Saint Barthelemy, also known as St Barts, and Saint Martin, an island divided between France and the Netherlands. (Photo credit: GEMMA HANDY/AFP/Getty Images)

The category five storm caused massive destruction on Barbuda with almost 100 percent of homes totally destroyed or damaged, according to Antigua TV news Wednesday evening.

Barbuda has been a communication blackout since the storm passed over the island in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

In  French St. Martin homes, office and streets were flooded, roofs ripped off and power was out while the scene was the same in Dutch St. Maarten, where the storm also caused tremendous damage to the famous Princess Julianna Airport.

Communication was hard with the islands.

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The roof on this home in St. Maarten was completely blown off by Irma. (Chandra Seth image)

Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk says he believes the level of destruction on the island is “enormous” as is destruction on the other Dutch islands of Sint Eustatius and Saba.

France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy while Dutch marines who flew to three Dutch islands hammered by Irma reported extensive damage but no deaths or injuries.

Irma also wrecked havoc in the British Virgin Islands and the USVI, tearing off roofs.  Antigua had flooded streets and some roof damage but was largely spared the worst of the storm.

It was unclear so far what the damage will be on Puerto Rico and other islands that could feels its impact tomorrow event as us forecasters say Irma could now impact Florida and the Carolinas this weekend.

 

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