Hurricane Irma Live Updates: 7M Without Power in Florida, 7 Dead, Recovery Begins

ORLANDO, FL — After slamming into the Florida Keys Sunday morning as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds that toppled trees, left power lines strewn like spaghetti throughout neighborhoods and flooded streets, Hurricane Irma blew out of Florida Monday. It left millions in the dark and has killed at least seven people in the United States. Sunday night into Monday, Irma tore through the heavily populated Tampa-St. Petersburg area, moved on to the Florida panhandle and then headed toward Atlanta, which is now under its first tropical storm warning in history.

Having moved near the northwestern coast of the Florida Peninsula Monday, Irma crossed the eastern Florida Panhandle into southern Georgia this afternoon as a tropical storm and is predicted to move through southwestern Georgia and eastern Alabama tonight and Tuesday.

Watch: Hurricane Irma Weakens To A Tropical Storm, But It's Still Dangerous

As Florida begins the slow recovery process, life is returning to normal in some areas. The world's unofficial cruise capital, the Port of Miami will reopen Tuesday, and businesses are opening their doors again. Many residents are asking when grocery stores will re-open. One chain, Publix Super Markets, said that none of its hundreds of Tampa Bay area stores would open on Monday. An update from the chain shortly before 1 p.m. showed all locations were closed. "Rest assured, our associates are working tirelessly to restore each location as quickly as possible," the retailer said in a news release.

Click to find Publix stores' status, hours, and updates.

Some Sedano's and Winn-Dixie stores have reopened. Click to find stores that are open.

Storm Still Dangerous

Officials in Jacksonville are telling residents who live along the St. Johns River to get out now due to unprecedented surge levels. “This is potentially a week-long event,” Mayor Lenny Curry said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Authorities reported "historic flood levels" and warned people to "Get out NOW" if they were in evacuation zones in San Marco, Riverside, downtown Jacksonville, Southampton and Landon Park. One person is reportedly dead in Jacksonville, apparently of a heart attack suffered while trying to escape the fast-rising waters.

In Miami-Dade County, one person reportedly died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator.

In Miami, city officials detailed their efforts in the aftermath of Irma.

After a possible tornado was reported in the area during Hurricane Irma, an anonymous source familiar with the situation confirmed to the Associated Press that structural engineers would inspect the Miami Dolphins' stadium. The Dolphins, however, have not commented on the condition of the stadium. The team's complex in Davie, Florida, appears to be fine in the wake of the storm, the source said. Another source said Marlins Park was being assessed. Photos posted on social media showed possible storm damage to the outer facade of the retractable roof.

The sun was shining again in Pasco County Monday afternoon as residents continued to assess damage. Nearly half the county remained without power, with no available estimates on when it might be restored. In a noon update, Duke Energy said it could be up to a week in some areas.

Some 23,000 utility workers from across the country, along with members of law enforcement, are fanning out across Florida to get power restored as quickly as possible, Gov. Rick Scott said Monday. More than 7 million homes and businesses in several states are without power because of Irma, the Associated Press reported.

As Monday dawned, the tedious search-and-rescue mission started. Teams from Key West and Miami are starting to search the Florida Keys. Their first step it to inspect each of the 56 bridges that connect the Keys to make sure those bridges are safe, Scott said.

Sarasota residents are feeling less anxious. Florida native Stefany Holmes is from the Siesta Key area and staying with relatives near Sarasota. The lights are on despite rain and winds that approached 100 mph, and she said there is an immense sense of relief in the Keys right now.

"It was a big deal," she told Patch. "This was gigantic. For a native like me to be as worried as I was... this was huge. It affected everyone in the state and for the first time in my lifetime, this state came together. We are feeling so fortunate. I feel for those who had to evacuate."

Emergency crews in Tampa issued a dire warning to those thinking about venturing out: Stay home. Live electric wires are strewn everywhere, and roads and bridges need to be inspected. "It is not safe to travel area highways at this time," Tampa FHP spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said. The Skyway Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway are closed, and Gandy Bridge and the Howard Frankland are closed to westbound traffic, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

In Orlando, Mayor Teresa Jacobs issued a curfew that will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Monday. Officials said 130 homes were flooded overnight and 300,000 homes are without power. Strike teams have been deployed countywide to address emergency situations.

In Lakeland Monday, utility crews were on the streets assessing the damage. On its Facebook page, the utility company — which reported some 78,000 customers without power — asked people to "Please be patient. The fix to the damage is not a simple flip of a switch. Trees down and high winds have caused extensive damage. "

In Orange County, just outside the city of Orlando, more than 120 homes were being evacuated early Monday as floodwaters began to pour in. Firefighters and the National Guard went door-to-door, using boats to ferry families to safety. A few miles away, 30 others had to be evacuated when a 60-foot sinkhole opened under an apartment building. No injuries were reported in either case.

Hillsborough County officials say nearly 29,000 evacuees took shelter in 42 general population shelters and is transitioning shelter availability for evacuees who need continued assistance. As evacuees leave shelters, Hillsborough County will begin to close shelters at most schools. Those who still need somewhere to stay can use three remaining shelters:

• Burnett Middle School, 1010 N. Kingsway Road, Seffner (pet-friendly)
• Middleton High School, 4801 N. 22nd Street, Tampa
• Shields Middle School, 15732 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin (no longer accepting pets)

Among survivors discovered during the post-hurricane search was a puppy left in a cage by its owners. Rescuers said the puppy was nearly drowning when it was found.

So far, at least three deaths have been connected to the storm. In Tallahassee, a Hardee County sheriff's deputy leaving her shift and a state corrections officer en route to his shift collided head-on and died in the crash, according to a report by the Miami Herald. At about 7 p.m., a third person died in a single-vehicle crash in Orange County. And while no fatalities have been reported in the Keys, as the storm moved past the islands late Sunday, authorities began to survey damage and said they feared deaths had occurred.

Florida's population grew by at least one. Nayiri Storm, whose mom rushed out of the Keys when she learned of the storm's massive size, was born in a Miami hospital. Storm rejected all suggestions that she name her daughter Irma. The baby was born amid debate among medical professionals about whether barometric pressure drops associated with hurricanes bring on labor. Hospital officials also talked a woman through her home delivery.

There was a Hurricane Irma marriage, too. Two members of the National Guard tied the knot while holed up in a shelter.

Winds knocked a utility pole and power lines onto a sheriff's cruiser late Sunday in Polk County east of Tampa, illustrating the dangerous conditions for emergency personnel. A deputy and a paramedic, who had just escorted an elderly patient to safety, were trapped for two hours until a crew could free them. Both were unhurt.

Watch: Up Close Views Of Powerful Irma

Florida's airports remained closed this morning, as well. No flights are scheduled Monday at Tampa International Airport as its condition is assessed. Most flights will resume Tuesday or Wednesday. Via social media Monday, the airport said passengers should contact their respective airlines for further flight information.

Orlando International Airport said Sunday it would not reopen to passenger traffic until after Irma had passed, a damage assessment had been completed, necessary recovery efforts were made and the airlines were consulted to determine when best to resume operations. Airlines are preparing their recovery schedules, which may take several days to execute.

Flights were also grounded Monday at Jacksonville International Airport, which closed its terminal until conditions allowed flights to resume.

Rubio calls for diesel

In an indication of how long hospitals have hunkered down in the Sunshine State, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted early Monday that Hialeah Hospital in Hialeah, Florida, had just enough diesel to run for two hours. In his tweet, Rubio appealed to get more diesel or for electric service to be restored.

Meanwhile, nearly 4 million of the state’s utility customers are now without power. Florida Light and Power said 3.6 million of its customers were without power Monday morning, while Tampa Electric said 300,000 of its customers, about 58 percent of its territory, remained without electricity. FP&L spokesman Rob Gould said they are not yet able to put workers on the streets, but more than 17,000 utility workers from across the country were positioned around the state ahead of the storm and ready to move when the storm relents. Irma’s shifting course has made it necessary for crews to move in order to get into the damaged areas.

“This is going to be a very, very long restoration, arguably the longest in U.S. history,” Gould said.

Up and down the Florida peninsula, thousands upon thousands of people huddled in shelters and hoped for the best. Just as the storm neared Fort Myers, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said water began leaking through the roof at the Germain Arena shelter in Estero. Thousands of evacuees crowded into the minor league hockey stadium, which seats about 8,400 people and is being used as a shelter. The sheriff's office posted on Facebook that authorities are monitoring the problem.

No Tourists Allowed

In the St. Petersburg area, Pinellas County officials told everyone to stay out. The area "is currently sealed off at the county lines and deputies are restricting access until damage and safety assessments are completed," the office said Monday. With debris everywhere and downed, but sometimes still live power lines littering the landscape, authorities across the state worry that as people emerge from shelters there will be dangerous encounters.

“We will not tolerate sightseers wanting to take a look at the damage and ride into neighborhoods to see what the storm has done to the community,” Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said in enacting a 24-hour curfew ahead of the storm. “Until 3 p.m. tomorrow, stay off the roads.”

Looters "will go to jail," Wells said. "We want to protect citizens and their property.”

Miami-Dade County Police have not only arrested looters, but publicly shamed them as well.

Meanwhile, President Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for Florida.

Gator displaced

People aren't the only ones trying to get out of Irma's way. An alligator displaced in the storm was spotted in Melbourne, a reminder of some of the unseen dangers in floodwaters.

Staff at Busch Gardens made sure no animals were left behind as Hurricane Irma barreled toward the Tampa Bay area. A video released by the theme park Sunday showed flamingos being led to a shelter in orderly, single-file fashion.

As Irma's driving winds twisted a construction crane mounted on a high-rise building in downtown Miami, the crane snapped and broke. Via Twitter, city officials warned people to avoid the area. Fire officials told the Miami Herald that weather conditions had deteriorated so badly that it was unsafe for crews to venture out to inspect or secure the crane. Later in the afternoon, a second large crane was reported to have collapsed at a building under construction on Northeast 30th Terrace. On Northeast Fifth Avenue in Miami, a roof peeled off of a two-story apartment building.

Meanwhile, streets flooded in Miami's downtown area of Brickell, which is full of high-rise office buildings and luxury condos. Photos and videos posted to social media showed the area streets submerged. A curfew for Miami-Dade County was put in place overnight, and police are enforcing it.

Florida International University said late Sunday it would be closed until further notice, but that students would be given ample notice of when the campus would reopen.

Just before 3 p.m. Sunday, Fort Lauderdale police said they arrested nine people for looting on West Sunrise Boulevard during the storm. “Going to jail over a pair of sneakers is a fairly poor life choice,” said Chief Rick Maglione. “Stay home and look after your loved ones, and be thankful they are all safe.”

Scam Alert

Even before Irma's howling winds calmed, scam artists were already out taking advantage of people who were waiting out the storm in their homes. TECO Energy said Sunday that people dressed as utility workers have been knocking on doors, then robbing at gunpoint those who answer.

At least three tornadoes were confirmed Sunday, according to preliminary information from the National Weather Service: one in Brevard County, a second in Broward County and another in Hardee County.

As the eye of the storm approached, authorities also warned: "Do not venture outside when the calm eye of the hurricane passes over, as dangerous winds will return very quickly when the eye moves away." The eye of the storm is 30 miles wide. The hurricane itself is almost 400 miles wide.

Hurricane Irma landed in Florida Sunday morning, making landfall in Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys, bringing with it torrential rains and howling winds. It wreaked havoc across South Florida before making a second landfall on Florida's mainland and then landing on Marco Island just before 4 p.m. Video footage shared via social media from the Keys and southern Florida showed the storm's immense force.

Haha, Not Funny

Police across had no patience for funny business. Facebook user Ryon Edwards, 22, of Daytona Beach, posted the invitation, "LETS SHOW IRMA THAT WE SHOOT FIRST." It was meant as joke, Edwards told the Associated Press. Even so, tens of thousands of Facebook users accepted the invite.

But the Pasco County Sheriff's Office wasn't laughing. It tweeted this response late Saturday:

Meanwhile, the people of Cuba began assessing devastation on the island nation. Irma ripped roofs off of houses, flattened buildings and flooded hundreds of miles of coastline as it raked Cuba's northern coast after devastating islands along the length of the Caribbean. Video images from northern and eastern Cuba showed uprooted utility poles and signs, many downed trees and extensive damage to roofs. Witnesses said a provincial museum near the eye of the storm was in ruins. Authorities in the city of Santa Clara said 39 buildings collapsed.

The reality of Irma and its fury were evident up north, too. While Atlanta is hundreds of miles from the coast, for the first time in its history the city's metro area is under a tropical storm warning. High-wind warnings have been issued in previous storms, but the storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours. Peak winds were expected to reach 30 to 40 mph with gusts of up to 55 mph. The warning is in place to urge Georgians to prepare for high winds, downed trees and widespread power outages. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority said it will suspend all bus, rail and mobility service for Monday, Sept. 11 due to the anticipated weather conditions Hurricane Irma is expected to bring into the state.

Billions of dollars in damage is expected.

"Unfortunately, there is no way the United States is going to avoid another catastrophic weather event," said Joel N. Myers, chairman of AccuWeather. "There will be massive damage in Florida. It will be the worst single hurricane to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992."

Massive flooding remains a concern in Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas, but Florida likely will stand alone in terms of damage severity. Irma has killed at least 30 people in her destructive run through the Caribbean to the United States and reduced entire islands to little more than splintered wood and rubble.

Hurricane Irma: Airline Information For Rebooking, Canceling Impacted Flights

Find a Patch in Florida

At one point, Irma was deemed to be one of the strongest storms in the last half century. The mere size of Irma is remarkable. The storm is about the size of Texas, meaning that if the hurricane hovers over Florida dropping rain for two days, as expected, massive flooding anywhere along Florida's coastline is possible.

As many as 7,000 National Guard troops from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin are being mobilized and will be sent to Florida next week. This will be the largest deployment of Guard forces for a natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.

With reporting by Patch editors Sherri Lonon, Paul Scicchitano and Don Johnson in Florida. Information from the Associated Press was used for this article.

See also:

• Hurricane Irma Webcams
• Hurricane Irma Raining Sharks? No, Dear Internet, Don’t Believe It
• Irma Guns For Tampa Bay Area
• $15B Aid Bill Passes Congress, Includes Debt Limit Raise
• Georgia Ports To Close In Savannah, Brunswick
• Polk County Adjusts Shelter List Ahead Of Hurricane Irma
• Hurricane Irma Threat Prompts Florida State Of Emergency
• NFL Moves Bucs-Dolphins Opener To November
• Hurricane Irma: Sarasota County Schools Announce Plans
• Hurricane Irma: Pinellas County Schools Announce Plans
• USF Sets Hurricane Irma Plans
• Airlines Charge Thousands To Fly Out Of Hurricane Irma Path In Florida

Main Photo: A tree fell near some residences in West Park Village in Westchase Sunday night as Hurricane Irma produced high winds in the neighborhood (Don Johnson/Patch); Second photo: A car sits in a flooded parking lot outside the Germain Arena, which was used as an evacuation shelter for Hurricane Irma, which passed through yesterday, in Estero, Fla., Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert); Third photo: People tend to a car that flipped over on Cape Coral Parkway during Hurricane Irma, in Cape Coral, Fla., on Sunday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)