DHAKA: Officials in Florida's Key West and popular Caribbean tourist islands ordered people to evacuate on Tuesday (Sep 5) as Irma, a “potentially catastrophic” Category Five hurricane, was set to make landfall.

The monster hurricane coming on the heels of Harvey, which struck Texas and Louisiana late last month, is expected to hit a string of French islands including Guadeloupe late Tuesday before heading to Haiti and Florida, reports BBC.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Irma had strengthened to the most powerful Category Five, packing winds of 280 kilometres per hour.

The front was moving west at 22 kilometres per hour, and is expected to dump up to 45 centimetres of rain in some areas when it hits land.

Schools and government offices in Guadeloupe have been ordered shut, while hospitals are stocking up on medicines, food and drinking water. People living on shorelines will be moved to safety, authorities said.

The popular holiday destinations of Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin - a French territory and a French-Dutch split island respectively - are expected to be especially hard hit.

The Dutch defence minister said soldiers arrived in the Dutch part of Saint Martin on Monday and two vessels, including one equipped with a helicopter, were in place to help.

Officials had on Monday ordered the evacuation of 11,000 people living in affected areas on both islands, which began in many neighbourhoods on Tuesday.

Irma's precise path remains unclear, but projections suggest it will head towards the British Virgin Islands before reaching the US territory of Puerto Rico on Wednesday night, before passing over the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Bahamas.

Florida expects the greatest danger from Friday night through Monday.

The governor of the US state of Florida, Rick Scott, declared a state of emergency, saying Irma posed “a severe threat to the entire state”, barely a week after Harvey claimed at least 42 lives.

He asked President Donald Trump to declare an emergency for the state as well, which would help draw resources to the area to respond to any damage.

Tourists in the popular Key West islands were packing their bags on a mandatory evacuation order and were due to begin leaving at sunrise on Wednesday, with a similar order for residents due to follow.

BDST: 1230 HRS, SEP 6, 2017
AP