MIAMI, 11 September (BelTA - Xinhua) - Hurricane Irma on Sunday morning made landfall with a maximum sustained wind speed of 215 kph in Florida Keys, a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The hurricane, which arrived in Florida as a Category 4 storm, the second highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, weakened to a Category 2 with a maximum sustained wind speed of 177 kph by afternoon as it marched up the state's west coast.
Much of downtown Miami has been flooded due to the storm surge, and two construction cranes have also been broken. Utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone.