“Irma” made landfall as a category 4 hurricane at Cudjoe Key, Florida after devastating the U.S. Virgin Islands – St John and St Thomas – as a category 5 storm.
“The Florida Keys were heavily impacted, as 25% of buildings were destroyed while 65% were significantly damaged. Severe wind and storm surge damage also occurred along the coasts of Florida and South Carolina. Jacksonville, FL and Charleston, SC received near-historic levels of storm surge causing significant coastal flooding. Irma maintained a maximum sustained wind of 185 mph for 37 hours, the longest in the satellite era. Irma also was a category 5 storm for longer than all other Atlantic hurricanes except Ivan in 2004.” — NOAA: Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters
Date of event: September 10, 2017
Impact:
- CPI-Adjusted Estimated Cost: $50 billion
- Deaths: 97
Related Resources:
- Safe, Strong, and Just Rebuilding After Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria: A Policy Road Map for Congress (Center for American Progress)
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Photo: A handwritten sign of encouragement to the Florida Keys community sits on the side of Overseas Highway in Marathon, Florida after Hurricane Irma. Sunday, September 17, 2017. (Credit: J.T. BLATTY / FEMA)