WHAT’S HAPPENING: Irma puts both Florida coasts in peril
MIAMI — Hurricane Irma struck Florida on Sunday, putting the entire peninsula in peril after pummeling the Keys. Both of the state’s coasts were pounded by storm surges. Thousands of people hunkered down in shelters and more than 1.5 million people lost power.
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WHAT’S AHEAD FOR IRMA?
The 400-mile (640-kilometre) wide storm marching up Florida’s west coast on Sunday after strafing South Florida, including the Keys. While the projected track showed Irma raking the state’s Gulf Coast, forecasters warned that the entire state — including the Miami metropolitan area of 6 million people — was in extreme peril. The Tampa-St. Petersburg area , with a population of about 3 million, was bracing for a direct hit early Monday.