Hurricane Irma pummelled Florida on Sunday, killing three people after causing at least 27 deaths in a multi-billion-dollar rampage through the Caribbean.
Irma churned over the lower Florida Keys islands as a Category Four hurricane before making a second landfall on the peninsula's south-western coast.
Although Irma was downgraded to a Category Two storm, it was still packing dangerous winds of up to 170kph as it neared Fort Myers, a major tourist destination in south-western Florida.
Read more: Three dead as Hurricane Irma makes second landfall at Naples
It was expected to remain a hurricane through at least Monday with a turn to the north-northwest overnight, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A second Category Four hurricane, Jose, followed part of Irma's track, but spared the storm-hit Caribbean islands of St Martin and St Barts, which had already suffered catastrophic damage from Irma.
Jose, veering north towards the mid-Atlantic, is expected to pose no threat to the United States.
The National's Rob Crilly describes what it’s like to be in the path of one of the strongest storms to hit America since records began
Read Rob Crilly's Hurricane Irma diary here
Irma death toll
The death toll is at least 30: Fourteen in the French island of St Barts and the Dutch-French territory of St Martin; six in the British Caribbean islands; at least four in the US Virgin Islands; at least two in Puerto Rico; and one in Barbuda.
Three other deaths occurred in Florida due to car accidents sparked by strong winds and torrential rain.
The International Red Cross said 1.2 million people have already been affected by Irma - a number that could rise to 26 million.
The combined economic cost of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma could reach US$290 billion, equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the US GDP, AccuWeather said in a report.
Barbuda
Irma hit the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda on Wednesday as a Category Five hurricane, with winds of up to 295 kph. The island suffered "absolute devastation," with up to 30 percent of properties demolished, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said.
One person is known to have died on the island of 1,600 residents, apparently a child whose family was trying to get to safer ground.
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Waves crash against the sea wall in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Alvin Baez / Reuters -
Search and rescue crew members clears a fallen tree in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Ricardo Ardyengo / AFP Photo -
People recover broken parts of the dock after the passing of Hurricane Irma, in St. John's, Antigua. Johnny Jno-Baptiste / AP Photo -
Contractors prepare a home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma in Miami, Florida. Jayme Gershen / Bloomberg -
Fallen trees block a street in Puerto Rico. Alvin Baez / Reuters -
Members of the civil defense in Fajardo, Peurto Rico, run as Hurricane Irma howls past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands. Alvin Baez / Reuters / September 6, 2017. -
A rescue team from the local emergency management agency inspects flooded areas after the passing of Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Jose Jimenez / Getty Images -
Kids play at a shelter in a local church during the evening before the arrival of Hurricane Irma in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, on September 6, 2017. Tatiana Fernandez / AP -
Pleasure craft lie crammed against the shore in Paraquita Bay as the eye of Hurricane Irma passed Tortola, British Virgin Islands on September 6, 2017. Courtesy of Ron Gurney / via Reuters
St Martin, St Barts and Anguilla
The holiday islands of St Martin and St Barts, also hit on Wednesday, suffered the highest toll among Caribbean victims of Irma.
St Martin is divided between France and the Netherlands. France said 10 people had died on its side of the island, while the Netherlands said the storm killed four on the Dutch side, called Sint Maarten. On the Dutch side, 70 percent of the infrastructure has been destroyed.
France's state-owned reinsurer CCR estimates damage on the two islands at 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
France and the Netherlands are rushing in logistical support, as well as hundreds of extra police to clamp down on looting.
French aid includes helicopters, engineering equipment, medical supplies and a million litres (265,000 gallons) of water, as the three water-treatment plants will be knocked out for months.
French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in St Martin Tuesday.
In the British archipelago of Anguilla, one man was crushed to death in a house collapse.
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The destruction of Hurricane Irma in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. All photos Ian Brown / AP Photo -
This image made from video shows damage from Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models. (AP Photo/Ian Brown) -
This image made from video shows flooding caused by Hurricane Irma on Charlotte Amalie, in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models. (AP Photo/Ian Brown) -
This image made from video shows several damaged houses by Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models. (AP Photo/Ian Brown) -
In this image made from video, motorists remove debris caused by Hurricane Irma from the road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models. (AP Photo/Ian Brown) -
In this image made from video, neighbors clear debris from the road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models. (AP Photo/Ian Brown)
British Virgin Islands
Five people were killed in the British Virgin Islands, according to the local government.
Just east of Puerto Rico, it is home to roughly 28,000 people and includes British billionaire Richard Branson's Necker Island.
US Virgin Islands
At least four people were killed in the US Virgin Islands, officials told AFP.
Puerto Rico
At least two people were killed in the US territory of Puerto Rico, and more than half of its three million residents were without power after rivers broke their banks in the centre and north of the island.
Dominican Republic
Some 20,000 people were evacuated and more than 2,000 homes affected by floods in the Dominican Republic, the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola, which is also shared with Haiti.
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Waves crash against the seafront boulevard El Malecon as Hurricane Irma passes through Havana, Cuba. Reuters -
Evacuees stand in line to enter the Germain Arena, which is being used as a shelter in Estero, Florida. Gerald Herbert / AP Photo -
Zookeeper Ryan Martinez leads an Indian white-rumped vulture into a crate as animals are moved into a shelter at the Zoo Miami in preparation for Hurricane Irma. Al Diaz /Miami Herald via AP -
A shopper walks past empty shelves at a supermarket as Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Kissimmee, Florida. Gregg Newton / Reuters -
A local resident rides a skateboard before the arrival of Hurricane Irma in Miami Beach, Florida. Carlos Barria / Reuters -
People take shelter at Key West High School in Key West, Florida, as Hurricane Irma approaches. Jeane LaRance/ Reuters -
Men wade through a flooded street, caused by the passing of Hurricane Irma in Havana, Cuba. Ramon Espinosa / AP Photo -
Strong waves brought by Hurricane Irma hit the Malecon sea wall in Havana, Cuba. Ramon Espinosa / AP Photo -
Evacuees board a WC-130H of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard in St Martin. Major Sean Boughal / 106th Rescue Wing/USAF/ Reuters.
Haiti
Irma brought flooding and caused injuries in Haiti, but passed further north than had been forecast, sparing the impoverished island the worst. A number of roads were washed out.
Cuba
Irma made landfall on the island's Camaguey Archipelago late Friday, knocking down power lines, uprooting trees and ripping the roofs off homes.
Authorities said they had evacuated more than a million people as a precaution, including about 4,000 in the capital.
Ambulances and firefighters patrolled streets littered with hunks of roofs, power lines and tree branches brought down by strong winds that blasted over Cuba on Saturday.
Irma: Where next?
Irma toppled cranes, swallowed streets and left millions without power as it unleashed its terrifying fury on the US state of Florida, threatening the coastal cities of Naples and Fort Myers and Tampa Bay with storm surges of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters), according to the National Hurricane Center.
A total of 6.3 million people have been asked to leave their homes in Florida.
A state of emergency has been declared in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as in Florida. Georgia ordered the evacuation of the city of Savannah and other coastal areas.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would go to Florida "very soon" to assess relief efforts.
Hurricanes Jose and Katia
Hurricane Jose, after strengthening to Category Four status, passed 135 km (83 miles) north of St Barts and 125 km from Saint Martin.
France's meteorological agency issued its highest warning, saying Jose could become a "dangerous event of exceptional intensity."
But "thanks to a passage which was further away than anticipated, the effects on the territory
were markedly less," the meteorological agency said.
Another hurricane, Katia, made landfall in eastern Mexico late Friday killing two people, just as the country grappled with the deaths and damage inflicted by its worst earthquake in a century.
