National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Irma claimed total of 129 lives
The National Hurricane Center has released a new updated report stating last year’s Hurricane Irma was responsible for the deaths of 129 people across the Caribbean and US southern states.
It said 44 of those deaths were directly caused by the storm.
Most direct deaths occurred in the Caribbean, although the final death toll reached 80 in Florida alone.
These were due to a variety of indirect reasons, including tragic accidents during pre-storm preparations, electrocutions and carbon monoxide deaths due to excessive use of portable generators during power outages.
This included 14 deaths at a Florida nursing home caused by dangerously high temperatures after the power went out and generators failed.
There were seven fatalities in the US directly attributed to Irma including one each in Georgia and South Carolina due to falling trees.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Irma became one of the top five most expensive hurricanes in US history causing about $50 billion in damage.
Nine people were also killed in Cuba in what was the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the island for nearly a century.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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