Now that Hurricane Irma has left the United States, the focus turns to assessing the damage. See photos and videos of the storm damage in Melbourne, Florida.
With Hurricane Irma having come and gone from the southeastern United States, the focus for many now turns to returning home and assessing the damage left by the storm.
Irma made landfall Saturday night as a C ategory 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys, bringing winds in excess of 130 mph and torrential rainfall in its path. The rain and strong winds resulted in a massive storm surge for some communities, which caused flooding in some areas. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least eight people were killed in the U. S. as a result of Irma and another 37 died in the Caribbean.
Almost 6 million people were placed under evacuation orders, and nearly the same amount of people have been left without electricity. Those customers have slowly been getting their power turned back on, but officials say the “priority” goes to medical centers and emergency services.
While the western half of Florida appears to have been dealt the brunt of the storm in addition to the southern tip, a majority of the state felt at least some effect of Irma. The National weather Service reported that the highest wind gusts in the Melbourne area came at the St. Lucie Power Plant. Wind gusts topped out at 100 mph there, and there were 94 mph gusts close to the Banana River in Merritt Island.
In its preliminary storm report, the National Weather Service said Melbourne received 11.67 inches of rainfall in 48 hours, while Fort Pierce had the most with 21.65 inches reported.
Because of the large amounts of rain, many parts around Melbourne were flooded up to about ankle length, and various streets were inaccessible for some time because of it.
Images and videos filled social media of Irma’s effect in the Melbourne area. On Sunday, a Melbourne Fire Department employee captured footage of an alligator crossing the road in a residential area.
Here are some of the photos and videos of Irma’s impact and the damage it caused in the Melbourne area:
