Tech

See Hurricane Irma’s Devastating Aftermath—In Video

By Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

SEE FULL BIO

Hurricane Irma is just days away from a likely landfall in Florida after sowing destruction across the Caribbean.

The following are videos of the storm’s damage, which some analysts estimate could eventually cost $250 billion. The footage, taken by local residents and government agencies, shows fearsome winds, shattered homes, and massive flooding.

The Category 5 storm remains “extremely dangerous,” according to the National Hurricane Center. A possible landfall in southern Florida is forecast for Sunday, and residents there are already evacuating.

View from space:

NASA’s satellites captured Hurricane Irma’s steady path toward the Caribbean islands while another storm, Hurricane Katia, formed in the Gulf of Mexico and threatened the Mexican coast.

Howling winds:

Hurricane Irma’s sustained winds of 185 miles per hour pummeled Puerto Rico. The trees in a hotel complex look like they are about to snap in this startling clip.

Little remains standing:

The following footage shows the devastating effect of Hurricane Irma on Tortola, the biggest of the British Virgin Islands. Debris is scattered across the roads and a now-desolate parking lot.

https://twitter.com/mago6666/status/905900289210888192

Thankful to be alive:

A woman in the island of St. Martin describes how Hurricane Irma destroyed building roofs and toppled the trees in her neighborhood.

“My husband’s Jeep is total loss, total loss,” she says. “But what? We have life and we are grateful to God.”

Devastating flooding:

This clip shows intense flooding in Puerto Rico from the Category 5 hurricane.

Angry ocean:

A once, calm tropical beach in the Samana province of Dominican Republic becomes a roiling cauldron.

Calm in the eye of the storm:

NOAA researchers flew a small plane into Hurricane Irma’s eye to collect data about the storm. Extreme turbulence makes the small aircraft’s propellers look like they are struggling to turn. But once the airplane reaches the storm’s eye, the gusts are gone and all is calm in the air.