These photos show how Hurricane Irma has trashed the Caribbean — and it’s heading for the US next

By Kieran Corcoran From Business Insider

Hurricane Irma, Getty, Puerto Rico
A street in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Irma ravaged buildings and knocked trees into overhead cables.Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Hurricane Irma has spent the past day and a half wreaking havoc in the Caribbean. Irma is now a Category 5 storm, the strongest possible designation, and has featured wind speeds of 185 mph.

At least 10 people have died in the storm, dozens are injured, and thousands have been left homeless.

It has ravaged four countries in the region and is headed for more. Ultimately the storm is headed for the US. Its power is expected to diminish to that of a Category 4 storm, but it could still cause huge devastation.

Hurricane Irma first hit Barbuda, a tiny Caribbean island. It was said to be more than 90% destroyed by the storm, with some of the damage evident in these local TV images.
ABS News

The winds were able to mangle this metal broadcast tower.
ABS News

Antigua, Barbuda’s sister island, was hit at a similar time. Here is the capital, St John’s, afterwards.
AP/Johnny Jno-Baptiste

St. Martin, one of the Leeward Islands, was next in Irma’s path, and it was likewise devastated.
View image on Twitter

Via Jonathan Falwell on St Martin: No power, no water, everything destroyed. Buildings gone. Please pray as this island is decimated. #Irma.

After that the storm approached the US territory of Puerto Rico.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
The island is larger and had a lot more photographers than the others, so there are more pictures of the storm in action.

The winds knocked down trees.
REUTERS/Alvin Baez

Waves battered ships that couldn’t be brought back to port in time.
REUTERS/Alvin Baez

The winds made it tough to walk.
Alvin Baez/Reuters

As night fell, the island flooded.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Rescuers checked flooded cars in case anybody had not managed to escape.
AP/Carlos Giusti

No deaths have been reported on Puerto Rico so far.
AP/Carlos Giusti

As of early Thursday morning, Irma’s death toll was 10: one on Barbuda, eight on St. Martin, and St. Barthélemy, and one on Anguilla.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Despite the obvious devastation, there were moments of beauty in the storm as well.
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Hurricane Hunters @53rdWRS
A sun flare inside the eye of #hurricaneIrma during one of today’s flights.
This photo was captured by US Air Force “Hurricane Hunter” planes, which fly into storms to collect the data that informs forecasts and emergency responses on the ground.

And now Irma is headed for the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and then Florida. This is the Weather Channel’s latest prediction map.
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For more on this story go to:http://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-irma-photos-show-destruction-2017-9/#and-now-irma-is-headed-for-the-dominican-republic-the-bahamas-and-then-florida-this-is-the-weather-channels-latest-prediction-map-17