“I don’t see prayer as a last resort, it should always be a first resort.” -Florida Governor Rick Scott
(Miami, FL)—[CBN News] Hurricane Irma has made landfall on Marco Island, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane. (Screengrab: Floridians worship on beach before Irma made landfall/via Twitter-Adam Beamer)
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irma’s powerful eye roared ashore at Marco Island just south of Naples with 115-mph winds, for a second U.S. landfall at 3:35 p.m. Sunday.
Category 3 storms have winds from 111 to 129 mph, but 130-mph wind gust was recently reported by the Marco Island Police Department.
Irma’s second U.S. landfall was tied for the 21st strongest landfall in the U.S. based on central pressure. Irma’s first U.S. landfall in the Florida Keys was tied for 7th.
CBN News reporter Gary Lane interviewed Operation Blessing president Bill Horan about how they’re preparing to help victims of the hurricane.
Florida Power & Light says it will be weeks, not days, before electricity is fully restored because of the damage being done by Hurricane Irma.
Spokesman Rob Gould said Sunday that an estimated 3.4 million homes and businesses will lose power once the worst of Irma reaches the Florida mainland. He expects thousands of miles of poles and lines will need to be replaced, particularly on the Gulf coast.
Some residents sang “The Great I Am” as Irma approached … [while] Florida Governor Rick Scott warned of a storm surge of up to 8 feet for the Tampa area.
“I don’t see prayer as a last resort, it should always be a first resort,” said Scott.
Click here to read this report in its entirety and watch the incredible beach prayer video.
President Trump in “Deep Prayer” with His Cabinet during Hurricane Irma Meeting
Joseph Lawler : Sep 11, 2017 : The Washington Examiner
[Washington Examiner] President Trump and members of his Cabinet bowed their heads in prayer as they met at Camp David in Maryland before the president offered words of support for those impacted and still threatened by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma… Click here to read.(Photo: Released by The White House/via Liberty Writers)
Surveying the Damage: Irma Leaves Flooding and Destruction across Florida
While the Florida Keys took a direct hit, and while the rest of the state saw plenty of damage, Florida was shown some mercy with the winds somewhat diminished before landfall.
[CBN News] Hurricane Irma hit Florida on Sunday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, ripping off roofs, flooding streets and knocking out power to millions. (Photo: Flooding in Florida from Hurricane Irma/CBN News)
By this morning, Irma had weakened to a Tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds at 70 mph but still managed to unleash more destruction, including storm surge flooding.
Additional weakening is forecast as Irma heads into northern Florida and southern Georgia.
“The forecast track takes the center then into Georgia tomorrow and ultimately with the system weakening, becoming a tropical depression by Tuesday,” Ed Rappaport of the National Hurricane Center said.
But behind Irma was a trail of destruction.
Miami escaped Irma’s center but was still hammered by flooding and high winds. Gusts approached 100 miles per hour.
Winds were so strong in Miami that at least 3 construction cranes crashed into buildings.
The storm even produced some tornadoes.
And in cities across Southern Florida, a storm surge turned roads into rivers.
Irma caused one of the largest U.S. evacuations ever, with nearly 7 million people in the Southeast warned to seek shelter elsewhere, including 6.4 million in Florida alone.
Some four and a half million people across the state lost power, and utility officials say it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone.
President Trump approved a disaster declaration for Florida, opening the way for federal aid.
A tropical storm warning was issued for the first time ever in Atlanta, where many schools canceled classes because of the storm.
In parts of the Virgin Islands, Irma left close to total devastation.
In Havana, sea water submerged several blocks from the coast, leaving an entire neighborhood underwater, while the whole city was without electricity.
Cuban officials say at least 10 people were killed by the storm there. And across the Caribbean, another 24 people were killed on other islands.
Irma was once the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the open Atlantic, a Category 5 with a peak wind speed of 185 mph.
While the Florida Keys took a direct hit, and while the rest of the state saw plenty of damage, Florida was shown some mercy with the winds somewhat diminished before landfall.
Source: www.BreakingChristianNews.com