Hurricane Irma bears down on Tampa after leaving trail of devastation across Florida – latest news

‘Hurricane Irma gave Florida a coast-to-coast pummelling with winds up to 130 mph on Sunday, swamping homes and boats, knocking out power to millions and toppling massive construction cranes over the Miami skyline.
The 400-mile-wide storm blew ashore in the mostly cleared-out Florida Keys, then marched up its western coast, its punishing winds extending clear across to Miami and West Palm Beach on the Atlantic side.
Irma was nearing the heavily populated Tampa-St. Petersburg area late on Sunday, though in a much-weakened state.
While it arrived in Florida a Category 4 hurricane, by nightfall it was down to a Category 2 with winds of 100 mph (160 kph). Meanwhile, more than 160,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast.
President Donald Trump has said the US may have got a “little bit lucky” after Hurricane Irma veered from its original course and headed west along Florida’s coast.’
Read more: Hurricane Irma bears down on Tampa after leaving trail of devastation across Florida – latest news