CLOSE Video shot in Miami, Florida, shows strong winds pushing ocean water onshore as Hurricane Irma makes landfall. USA TODAY 
 
 East Oakland Park Boulevard is completely blocked by a downed street light pole as Hurricane Irma hits the southern part of the state on September 10, 2017 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images) 
 
 MIAMI — Hurricane Irma marched relentlessly up Florida's Gulf coast Sunday after slamming through the Florida Keys, as the meteorological behemoth's slashing rain and roaring winds rolled toward Georgia and beyond. 
 
 The storm made landfall on the Florida Keys and later near Naples, but Florida's eastern coast was far from spared Sunday from the almost 400-mile-wide storm. In Miami, high winds snapped construction cranes and water swept down streets like rivers. In Palm Bay, 175 miles to the north, a tornado destroyed six mobile homes. Water rose by 4 feet in 30 minutes in some places. 
 
 In Miami-Dade County, about 850,000 homes were without power, prompting Mayor Carlos Gimenez to impose a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew. Looters proved to be a problem too, with thousands of businesses and homes empty due to evacuations. 
 
 "We're going to be monitoring any types of crimes," Miami Police Commander Freddie Cruz told USA TODAY. 
 
 Millions of Floridians evacuated ahead of the historic storm, and more than 3.4 million power customers — about 7 million people — were without electricity Sunday. 
 
 "We're going to get through this," Gov. Rick Scott told workers in the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. "We've got a lot of work to do," he added. 
 
 Scott visited Pensacola on Sunday to check on evacuees and get updates from officials. Volunteers in the shelters will be a growing need, he said. 
 
 "People are going to be in our shelters for awhile," Scott said. 
 
 Despite a 10-mile east shift Sunday afternoon Hurricane Irma still was poised to travel north and strike Tampa as a weaker storm before daybreak Monday, the National Hurricane Center said. 
 
 By 11 p.m. ET, Irma's winds had slowed somewhat to maximum sustained speed of 100 mph, but continued to barrel north at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 11 p.m. ET, the storm was 50 miles southeast of Tampa. 
 
 Irma was forecast to continue traveling toward the Big Bend area in the Panhandle and strike Tampa as a Category 1 or 2 early Monday. It will be a tropical storm or Category 1 when it reaches the Tallahassee area. 
 
 CLOSE Hurricane Irma may have weakened, but it's still a big storm with clouds stretching from West Virginia to the Florida Keys. And it's not the only hurricane worth following right now. USA TODAY 
 
 The storm sent 120 mph winds to the Naples area after making landfall on Marco Island Sunday afternoon. 
 
 The east shift didn't change conditions for Central Florida and the east coast, Hurricane Center acting Director Ed Rappaport said. Those areas expected at least tropical storm conditions, stronger gusts and tornadoes. 
 
 Even as Irma wound down, the storm was creating complications in the Naples area. Irma blew the roof off of the fire station at Naples Municipal Airport, where the National Hurricane Center logged a wind gust of 142 mph, according to a 6 p.m. ET update Sunday. Emergency crews in Naples were working with the help of backup generators good for up to four days and able to be refueled. In Collier County, residents were asked to boil water before drinking or cooking until further notice. 
 
 In Venice, north of Naples, Irma was preventing utility workers from repairing a significant water main break, forcing the city's Utilities Department to shut down the water system. The development meant residents would have no water for the time being for drinking or flushing toilets. 
 
 The storm claimed at least three lives in Florida. A Hardee County sheriff's deputy and a prison employee died in a vehicle crash related to Irma on Sunday, officials said. Deputy Julie Bridges was on her way to pick up shelter supplies when the vehicle she was driving collided with another vehicle carrying Sgt. Joseph Ossman, who was reporting for work at the Hardee Correctional Institution. 
 
 One person died in a single vehicle accident off of a highway in Orange County, Fla., Sunday evening, county Fire Chief Otto Drozd said. "This underscores just how dangerous the roads are because it was just a single vehicle," Drozd told reporters. 
 
 Hardee County Deputy Julie Bridges and DOC Sergeant Joseph Ossman killed in head-on crash during Hurricane Irma https://t.co/B6D4zmopXbpic.twitter.com/Qo28IYJfVI — Heavy.com (@HeavySan) September 10, 2017 
 
 President Trump approved a disaster declaration on Sunday for Florida, the White House announced Sunday. The declaration makes federal aid available for several counties affected by the storm, including Miami-Dade. 
 
 The president told reporters outside of the White House on Sunday that he will visit Florida "very soon." He did not specify where in Florida or when. 
 
 Irma was expected to roll Monday into Georgia, where Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for all 159 counties. Atlanta claimed the dubious distinction of receiving its first tropical storm warning in city history. 
 
 The states of Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois all could face severe effects from the storm before it quiets by week's end, the National Weather Service said. 
 
 ***EVERYONE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS*** 
 
 
 
 ***IT IS TIME TO HUNKER DOWN*** 
 
 
 
 ***THE WORST WINDS ARE YET TO COME***#Irma#FLkeys#flwxpic.twitter.com/lmHTcRv68l — NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) September 10, 2017 
 
 Irma slammed into Cudjoe Key on Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph. That marked the first time two consecutive Category 4 hurricanes have hit the United States, following Hurricane Harvey in Texas last month. Irma also is Florida's first major hurricane since Wilma in 2005. 
 
 Larry Kahn, editor of the Keynoter, said power was out and there was no running water at Marathon High School, a "refuge of last resort" on the middle Keys. 
 
 “Everything is underwater," Kahn said. "I mean everything." 
 
 Sunday night, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay instituted an indefinite dusk-to-dawn curfew to reduce travel danger and the risk of looting. 
 
 "Anyone out after the designated times is subject to arrest," he said in a statement. 
 
 President Trump spoke to the governors of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, and has been speaking regularly with Florida's Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the White House said. Trump said he was encouraged by the response to the disaster this far. 
 
 "I think it's been going really well," Trump said. "FEMA has been incredible. We're working very well with the governor and the other governors in the surrounding states." 
 
 Watch as storm-surge floods engulf a Miami neighborhood. #HurricaneIrmapic.twitter.com/04jj00WodU — USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 10, 2017 
 
 In one of the biggest U.S. evacuations ever, about 6.3 million people in Florida — more than one-quarter of the state’s population — were told to clear out from threatened areas. Another 540,000 were directed to move away from the Georgia coast. 
 
 More than 10,000 flights were canceled, airports were closed, ocean cruises diverted and Disney resorts shut down as a result of the storm. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — the world's busiest airport — could see disruptions as Irma moves north. 
 
 CLOSE One man in Fort Myers, Florida says he's going to keep to his 'gambling ways' when it comes to Hurricane Irma. He says he's 'rolling the dice' and staying home. USA TODAY 
 
 Irma's track marked the first time the Tampa-St. Petersburg region was the target of a major hurricane in almost a century. 
 
 Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn warned residents to prepare for the worst. 
 
 "Be prepared for a storm that we've never seen before," Buckhorn tweeted. "Our day has come." 
 
 Large waves produced by Hurricane Irma crash into the end of Anglins Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on September 10, 2017. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images) 
 
 Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, and its 2 million residents remained under a curfew until 10 a.m. ET Monday. The town of Davie reported that a wastewater pump station lost power between Saturday night and Sunday morning and was expected to overflow, raising fears that sewage could contaminate standing water in neighborhoods, officials said. 
 
 More: Utility: Up to 9 million people could lose power during Hurricane Irma 
 
 More: Florida volunteers step in to prepare for Hurricane Irma 
 
 More: Waiting for Jose: Caribbean braces for second potent storm 
 
 Emergency management officials were concerned that east coast residents who evacuated might try to return home after Irma's track veered toward the Gulf coast. 
 
 "Don't make a dumb decision," cautioned Brevard County Communications DIrector Don Walker. "Stay put until the all-clear is issued by emergency officials." 
 
 That will likely would be Monday afternoon, at the earliest, he said. 
 
 Florida Power and Light, which serves nearly 10 million people in southern Florida, expects about 6 million people will be affected by the storm. 
 
 A news conference to update the status of outages across the state was interrupted — by a power outage. 
 
 The storm's death toll has already reached into the double digitssince roaring out of the open Atlantic and chewing through a string of Caribbean islands. 
 
 CLOSE . Land interaction has already weakened Irma's core, and the NHC 5pm advisory now has it as a category 2 storm with 110mph sustained winds. 
 
 Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke said the federal government is prepared to respond to Hurricane Irma and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey simultaneously. 
 
 "I don’t have any doubt … that as a federal government we can do this and will do this," she said. 
 
 Rice and Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Alan Gomez, Trevor Hughes, Bart Jansen and Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY; Joseph Cranney and Arek Sarkissian, Naples Daily News; Isadora Rangel and Nicole Rodriguez, TCPalm; Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today; Kevin Robinson, Pensacola News Journal; The Associated Press 
 
 More: Hurricane Irma: Where is it now, where is it headed? 
 
 More: Florida flight cancellations now at 5,000, extend through Monday 
 
 More: Questions and answers on Hurricane Irma’s impact on Florida 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xWUjsV ||||| A crane atop a high-rise under construction in downtown Miami collapsed Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, amid strong winds from Hurricane Irma. The crane collapsed in a bayfront area filled with hotels and high-rise... (Associated Press) 
 
 TAMPA, Florida (AP) — A massive but weakened Hurricane Irma zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region early Monday after hammering much of Florida with roof-ripping winds, gushing floodwaters and widespread power outages. 
 
 Irma continued its slog north along Florida's western coast having blazed a path of unknown destruction. With communication cut to some of the Florida Keys, where Irma made landfall Sunday, and rough conditions persisting across the peninsula, many held their breath for what daylight might reveal. 
 
 The monster storm measured more than 400 miles (640 kilometers) wide, and its winds of up to 130 mph (210 kph) sucked the ocean water out of bays, swamped much of downtown Miami and toppled at least three constructions cranes — two over downtown Miami and one in Fort Lauderdale. 
 
 More than 3.3 million homes and businesses across the state lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone. 
 
 Irma's center was about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of the heavily populated Tampa-St. Petersburg area early Monday, though in a much-weakened state. While it arrived in Florida a Category 4 hurricane, it was down to a Category 1 with winds of 85 mph (135 kph). 
 
 Continued weakening was forecast and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma was expected to become a tropical storm over northern Florida or southern Georgia later in the day Monday. 
 
 Meanwhile, more than 160,000 people waited in shelters statewide. 
 
 There were no immediate reports of deaths in Florida. In the Caribbean, at least 24 were people were killed during Irma's destructive trek across exclusive islands known as the vacation playground for the rich. In Cuba, the storm swamped Havana's iconic seawall, pushing water nearly a third of a mile (half a kilometer) inland. 
 
 In one of the largest U.S. evacuations, nearly 7 million people in the Southeast were warned to seek shelter elsewhere, including 6.4 million in Florida alone. Upon leaving Florida, a weakened Irma is expected to push into Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and beyond. A tropical storm warning was issued for the first time ever in Atlanta, where many schools canceled classes because of the storm. 
 
 Bryan Koon, Florida's emergency management director, said late Sunday that authorities had only scattered information about the storm's toll. 
 
 "I've not heard of catastrophic damage. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It means it hasn't gotten to us yet," Koon said. 
 
 In the low-lying Keys, where a storm surge of over 10 feet (3 meters) was recorded, appliances and furniture were seen floating away, and Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark said the ocean waters were filled with navigation hazards, including sunken boats. 
 
 The county administrator, Roman Gastesi, said crews would begin house-to-house searches Monday morning to check on survivors. And an airborne relief mission, led by C-130 military cargo planes, was gearing up to bring emergency supplies to the Keys. 
 
 Storm surge and tornadoes were two big concerns. The National Hurricane Center said a federal tide gauge in Naples reported a 7-foot (more than 2-meter) rise in water levels in just 90 minutes late Sunday. And an apparent tornado spun off by Irma destroyed six mobile homes in Palm Bay, midway up the Atlantic coast. Flooding was reported along Interstate 4, which cuts across Florida's midsection. 
 
 In Miami, a woman who went into labor and was guided through delivery by phone when authorities couldn't reach her because of high winds and street flooding. Emergency crews later took her to the hospital. 
 
 Curfews were imposed overnight in Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and much of the rest of South Florida, and some arrests of violators were reported. Miami Beach barred outsiders from the island. 
 
 Fort Lauderdale police arrested nine people they said were caught on TV cameras looting sneakers and other items from a sporting goods store and a pawn shop during the hurricane. 
 
 About 30,000 people heeded orders to leave the Keys as the storm closed in, but an untold number refused, in part because, to many storm-hardened residents, staying behind in the face of danger is a point of pride. 
 
 John Huston, who stayed in his Key Largo home, watched his yard flood even before the arrival of high tide. 
 
 "Small boats floating down the street next to furniture and refrigerators. Very noisy," he said by text message. "Shingles are coming off." 
 
 Irma made landfall just after 9 a.m. Sunday at Cudjoe Key, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside Key West. On Sunday afternoon, it rounded Florida's southwestern corner and hugged the coast closely as it pushed toward Naples, Sanibel, Fort Myers and, beyond that, Sarasota. 
 
 Gretchen Blee, who moved with her husband to Naples from Long Island, New York, after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 heavily damaged their beach home, took cover in a hotel room as Irma raged. 
 
 "I said, 'Let's go and live the good life in paradise'," she said. "And here we are." 
 
 Some 400 miles (640 kilometers) north of the Keys, people in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area feared a first direct hit from a major hurricane since 1921. But the storm weakened to a Category 2 approaching that area. 
 
 "I've been here with other storms, other hurricanes. But this one scares me," Sally Carlson said as she snapped photos of the waves crashing against boats in St. Petersburg. "Let's just say a prayer we hope we make it through." 
 
 Along the Gulf Coast, two manatees became stranded after Irma sucked water out of Sarasota Bay, in Florida's Manatee County. Several people posted photos of the mammals on Facebook amid reports rescuers later dragged them to deeper water. 
 
 President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for Florida, opening the way for federal aid. And Florida's governor activated all 7,000 members of the Florida National Guard, and 10,000 guardsmen from elsewhere were being deployed. 
 
 Irma once was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the open Atlantic, a Category 5 with a peak wind speed of 185 mph (300 kph). For days, forecasters had warned Irma was taking dead aim at the Miami area and the rest of Florida's Atlantic coast. But then Irma made a westward shift and lost some of its punch while crossing Cuba's northern coast — just before a crucial turn into Florida's Gulf Coast. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in Washington; Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg; Terry Spencer in Palm Beach County; Gary Fineout in Tallahassee; Terrance Harris and Claire Galofaro in Orlando; and Jason Dearen and David Fischer in Miami contributed to this report. 
 
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 HURRICANE NEWSLETTER — Get the best of the AP's all-formats reporting on Irma and Harvey in your inbox: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb ||||| Stranded motorists try to get back in their car after a breakdown as Hurricane Irma bears down on the Florida Keys, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Hialeah, Fla. Wind gusts of 82 mph were reported in Miami.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Stranded motorists try to get back in their car after a breakdown as Hurricane Irma bears down on the Florida Keys, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Hialeah, Fla. Wind gusts of 82 mph were reported in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) (Associated Press) 
 
 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local): 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says the U.S. may have gotten a "little bit lucky" after Hurricane Irma veered from its original course and headed west along Florida's coast. 
 
 He says Irma may not have been quite as destructive as a result, but that things will play out over the next several hours. 
 
 Trump addressed reporters Sunday after returning to the White House from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where he spent the weekend monitoring the storm. 
 
 Trump says Irma will cost "a lot of money" but he isn't thinking about that right now. 
 
 He says "right now, we're worried about lives, not cost." 
 
 Trump says he'll be having additional meetings about coordination for the storm response. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma has weakened to a Category 2 storm, technically losing its major hurricane status, after making landfall in southwestern Florida. It is over land but hugging the coast as it moves north. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center said Irma's winds were at 110 mph (177 kph), just below major hurricane status, as the center of the still dangerous and wide storm moved farther inland. It was 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Naples late Sunday afternoon. It came ashore on Marco Island at 3:35 p.m. 
 
 The hurricane center says "although weakening is forecast, Irma is expected to remain a hurricane at least through Monday morning." 
 
 The hurricane center says the eye of Irma should hug Florida's west coast through Monday morning and then push more inland over northern Florida and southwestern Georgia on Monday afternoon. The forecast puts the storm generally over the populated Tampa-St. Petersburg region a couple hours after midnight into Monday morning. 
 
 Jeff Masters is meteorology director of the private Weather Underground. He says the fact that the storm approached the Tampa region from over land and from the south could slightly reduce the expected storm surge, although he says it will still be dangerous. 
 
 Irma is producing deluges of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rain an hour, which can cause flash flooding. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 The storm surge near Cudjoe Key may be flooding the nearby Florida Key Deer Refuge, home to fewer than 1,000 of the endangered Key deer. 
 
 The unique subspecies of white-tailed deer about 3 feet (1 meter) tall at the shoulder, the size of a large dog, but wildlife officials were not immediately concerned that the herd had been lost to floodwaters. 
 
 Dan Clark is refuge manager for the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex. He says the deer are "excellent swimmers." 
 
 Clark evacuated his staff Wednesday, and he spoke with The Associated Press by phone from Pinellas County. 
 
 He says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff planned to return as soon as weather permitted to begin assessing how the deer and other endangered species fared throughout the narrow, low-lying island chain. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 Police in Florida have arrested nine people who were caught on TV cameras looting sneakers and other goods from a sporting goods store and a pawn shop during Hurricane Irma. 
 
 Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said the group was arrested Sunday as the storm roared across South Florida. Maglione called the idea of stealing sneakers during a hurricane "a fairly bad life choice." 
 
 Local TV images showed the alleged looters running in and out of a store through a broken window carrying boxes of sneakers. 
 
 It wasn't immediately clear what charges those arrested would face. Their identities also were not immediately released. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 South Florida Water Management District chief engineer John Mitnik says it will probably be 7 p.m. Sunday before the storm surge in Miami completely subsides. He said the district is prepared for the storm surge expected on the Gulf coast and will have crews out repairing canals and drainage equipment as soon as it is safe. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 Wildlife officials say Florida residents and visitors should stay away from sea turtle nests and refrain from any attempts to save them from Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says in a news release that the public must not interfere with any sea turtle eggs, even if they think they're helping. 
 
 Officials say sea turtles have a nesting strategy that accommodates natural storm events, with each female depositing several nests throughout the season. No storm season is a total loss for Florida's sea turtles. Even in 2004, when Florida sustained direct hits from several hurricanes, officials say 42 percent of state's loggerhead nests hatched, well within the normal range. 
 
 Anyone who sees exposed turtle eggs or nests should contact wildlife officials. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:15 p.m. 
 
 Officials are warning boaters to stay away from the Florida Keys in the wake of Hurricane Irma. 
 
 Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark said in an email Sunday evening that nearshore waters are filled with navigation hazards like debris, sunken boats, loose boats, buoys and markers. 
 
 Residents with boats already in the Keys should avoid driving them in the nearshore waters. 
 
 Hurricane Irma made landfall Sunday morning in Cudjoe Key. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:30 p.m. 
 
 The Marco Island police department is warning people who didn't evacuate to get to higher floors in their buildings. 
 
 The department issued the warning in a tweet on Sunday just as Hurricane Irma made landfall on the island. 
 
 Forecasts have called for life-threatening storm surge of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) along the coast. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:30 p.m. 
 
 The University of Miami will not reopen either its main campus in Coral Gables or its Marine campus before Sept. 18 while it assesses the damage caused by Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The school says it is "proactively planning the recovery process." Numerous out-of-state students went back home last week to wait out the storm and it remains unclear when they will even be able to travel back to South Florida. 
 
 Miami's annual football rivalry game with Florida State has already been pushed back to Oct. 7. It had been scheduled for Sept. 16 in Tallahassee, the state capital that is also in Irma's projected path. 
 
 ____ 
 
 4:30 p.m. 
 
 Electric car maker Tesla says it has temporarily increased the battery capacity of some of its cars to help drivers escaping Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The electric car maker said the battery boost was applied to Model S and X cars in the Southeast. Some drivers only buy 60 or 70 kilowatt hours of battery capacity, but a software change will give them access to 75 kilowatt hours of battery life until Saturday. Depending on the model, that could let drivers travel about 40 more miles before they would need to recharge their cars. 
 
 Tesla said it made the change after a customer asked the company for help evacuating. The company said it's possible it will make similar changes in response to similar events in the future. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:45 p.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma has made landfall on Marco Island, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irma's powerful eye roared ashore at Marco Island just south of Naples with 115-mph (185-kph) winds, for a second U.S. landfall at 3:35 p.m. Sunday. 
 
 Category 3 storms have winds from 111 to 129 mph, but 130-mph (21-kph) wind gust was recently reported by the Marco Island Police Department. 
 
 Irma's second U.S. landfall was tied for the 21st strongest landfall in the U.S. based on central pressure. Irma's first U.S. landfall in the Florida Keys was tied for 7th. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:30 p.m. 
 
 More than 2.1 million customers have lost power in Florida with Hurricane Irma striking the state. 
 
 Florida Power & Light reported the numbers Sunday afternoon. The utility, which services much of south Florida, says more than 845,000 of those customers are in Miami-Dade County. 
 
 Duke Energy, the dominant utility in the northern half of Florida, has about 13,000 outages with the outer bands of Irma sweeping across the region. 
 
 The power companies say they have extra crews on hand to try to restore power — when it becomes safe to do so. 
 
 FPL spokesman Rob Gould says an estimated 3.4 million homes and businesses will lose power once the worst of Irma reaches the Florida mainland. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:30 p.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma is affecting the House of Representative's work schedule in Washington. 
 
 A notice from the House majority leader's office says the House now doesn't plan to take any votes Monday because of "the large number of absences" as a result of the storm. 
 
 The first votes of the week are expected Tuesday evening. 
 
 The House leadership will keep tabs on the situation and announce updates as necessary. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:15 p.m. 
 
 The eye of Hurricane Irma is nearing Naples, Florida, and continues to cause destruction over a wide swath of South Florida. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center said Irma had winds of 120 mph (195 kilometers) and was centered 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Naples on Sunday afternoon. It was moving north at 12 mph (19 kilometers per hour). At that rate, the center of the storm should come ashore sometime between 4 and 5 p.m. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:30 p.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma has pushed water out of a bay in Tampa, but forecasters are telling people not to venture out there, because it's going to return with a potentially deadly vengeance. 
 
 On Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, approximately 100 people were walking Sunday afternoon on what was Old Tampa Bay — a body of water near downtown. Hurricane Irma's winds and low tide have pushed the water unusually far from its normal position. Some people are venturing as far as 200 yards (180 meters) out to get to the water's new edge. The water is normally about 4 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) deep and reaches a seawall. 
 
 The U.S. Hurricane Center has sent out an urgent alert warning of a "life-threatening storm surge inundation of 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 meters) above ground level" and telling people to "MOVE AWAY FROM THE WATER!" 
 
 The waters retracted because the leading wind bands of Irma whipped the coastal water more out to sea. But once the eye passes and the wind reverses, the water will rush back in. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:30 p.m. Hurricane Irma is affecting the House of Representative's work schedule in Washington. 
 
 A notice from the House majority leader's office says the House now doesn't plan to take any votes Monday because of "the large number of absences" as a result of the storm. 
 
 The first votes of the week are expected Tuesday evening. 
 
 The House leadership will keep tabs on the situaton and announce updates as necessary. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:15 p.m. 
 
 Miami City Manager Daniel Alfonso says a second tower crane has collapsed into a building under construction in the city's downtown area. Alfonso told The Associated Press that the crane collapsed in a large development with multiple towers being built by Grand Paraiso. 
 
 Another crane collapsed earlier Sunday onto a high-rise building that's under construction in a bayfront area filled with hotels and high-rise condo and office buildings, near AmericanAirlines Arena. Officials said no one was injured as the result of either crane's collapse. 
 
 High winds are impeding Miami authorities' ability to reach the cranes, and authorities are urging people to avoid the areas. 
 
 Alfonso says the approximately two-dozen other cranes in the city are still upright and built to withstand significant wind gusts. 
 
 The tower cranes working on construction sites throughout the city were a concern ahead of Irma. Moving the massive equipment, weighing up to 30,000 pounds (13,600 kilograms), is a slow process that would have taken about two weeks, according to city officials. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center says a slightly weakened but still powerful Irma will slam the Naples and Marco Island with its strongest winds in a couple of hours. 
 
 Irma's winds dropped to 120 mph (195 kilometers per hour), down from 130 mph, and forecasters say it should weaken a bit more before landfall. But it still expected to a strong major hurricane as it rakes Florida from its western edges across to the east. 
 
 The storm is 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Naples and has picked up speed moving north at 12 mph (19 kilometers per hour). 
 
 The now Category 3 hurricane will keep on battering all of South Florida with high wind and surge, forecasters say. The hurricane center in western Miami, across the state from the eye of the mammoth storm, recorded an 81 mph (130 kilometers per hour) wind gust. 
 
 "This is a life-threatening situation," the hurricane center posted. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 An apparent tornado spun off by Hurricane Irma has destroyed six mobile homes in Florida. 
 
 Palm Bay Police Department Lt. Mike Bandish said no one was injured in Sunday's tornado, but that a 93-year-old man refused to leave his damaged home. He told Florida Today that officers tried to convince him to leave, but he wouldn't. 
 
 Palm Bay is on Florida's central Atlantic Coast near the Kennedy Space Center. The eye of Irma was hundreds of miles away when the tornado struck. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke says she doesn't have any doubt that the federal government can respond to Hurricane Irma and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey simultaneously. 
 
 Duke spoke Sunday afternoon at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters. Talking about efforts to respond to Irma in Florida and the aftermath of Harvey in Texas she says, "I know we're ready and ... I don't have any doubt ... that as a federal government we can do this and will do this." 
 
 Duke says she and FEMA chief Brock Long spoke earlier Sunday with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and that they are "absolutely pleased with the response" and that they "understand that we're just getting started in many ways." 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Some exterior paneling of AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, home of the NBA's Heat, has been damaged by wind. The arena is near the downtown Miami location where a crane snapped as Irma pounded away Sunday. But a team official told The Associated Press that an initial investigation showed no structural damage. They'll investigate further once conditions make it safe for workers to be outside. The Heat do not play in the arena until their preseason opener on Oct. 1. 
 
 At Raymond James Stadium in Tampa — where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play football — local, regional and statewide authorities are using the parking lots and surroundings as a staging area for high-water vehicles and equipment. On Saturday afternoon, several U.S. Marine amphibious vehicles were parked side by side, giant tanks that are ready to plunge into floodwater if needed. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott says members of his family who evacuated from Naples ahead of Hurricane Irma are leaving again now that it appears the killer storm will descend on the state capital. 
 
 Scott's wife, First Lady Ann Scott, as well as his daughter, his son-in-law and grandchildren left southwest Florida and came to the state capital. Scott owns a waterfront mansion in an area that is in the path of the hurricane. 
 
 But Scott said Sunday that his daughter and grandchildren will be leaving Tallahassee to go to Washington, D.C. His daughter just gave birth to twins. Scott said it would be "tough for them if we lose power." 
 
 The governor said he doesn't know what storm preparations have taken place at the governor's mansion, located a few blocks north of the Capitol. He said he "hasn't really been there" because he has been in other parts of the state or at the state emergency operations center. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Major General Michael Calhoun, the head of Florida's National Guard, says that more than 10,000 National Guard members from other states are going to be coming into the state. 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott has already called up 7,000 members of the Florida National Guard to help with recovery efforts from Hurricane Irma. Those members have been dispatched to shelters around the state and will be involved in handing out supplies in storm-ravaged areas once Irma has passed through. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Georgia's governor has declared an emergency for the entire state as Hurricane Irma's approach triggers widespread severe-weather threats, including the first-ever tropical storm warning for Atlanta. 
 
 Gov. Nathan Deal's new emergency declaration came Sunday as Irma churned near Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicted the storm's center to cross Monday into southwest Georgia, where a hurricane warning was issued for communities including Albany and Valdosta. 
 
 Portions of western Alabama and coastal South Carolina were also under tropical-storm warnings. 
 
 The National Weather Service confirmed it had never before issued a tropical-storm warning for Atlanta, where wind gusts could reach 55 mph (88 kph). Meanwhile Savannah and the rest of coastal Georgia were under evacuation orders for the second time since Hurricane Matthew brushed the region last October. 
 
 ____ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 More than 500 emergency responders are sleeping on cots in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, waiting to dispatch to areas devastated by Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The convention center had planned to host an elevator-industry gathering this weekend. Instead, more than 1,000 emergency vehicles are lined up in its halls: boats, ambulances, fork lifts, buses, 18-wheelers, fire trucks, and 62 helicopters. 
 
 Rescue teams from Florida, Colorado, New York, California and Arizona were checking their gear and resting up so that they would be prepared to hit the road as soon as the storm clears. Some of those emergency workers never even made it home from responding to Hurricane Harvey before turning around and deploying to Florida. 
 
 Sean Gallagher is with the Florida Forest Service, which is coordinating the staging operation. He says the convention center's loading dock doors will close as soon as the winds in Orlando rise to hurricane levels to protect the vehicles and responders inside and won't open again until the winds die down. 
 
 Then, rapid response teams will rush into the most devastated areas to do recognizance and triage where the rescue operations are most needed. 
 
 Until then, they are crammed in the convention center's side rooms and cots. The convention center has pallets of 13,000 ready-to-eat meals. 
 
 Aaron Janssen is a helicopter mechanic with a medical aviation company. He's sleeping in a tent next to his helicopter, with his wife and 9-year-old Chihuahua named Marley. He didn't want to leave them behind at their Orlando home while he worked. 
 
 Marley spent the day chasing a pigeon around the hangar. 
 
 "She's loving it," he said. "She hadn't figured out yet that she's never going to catch that pigeon." 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Miami Beach officials say emergency services have been suspended until winds drop below 40 mph (64 kph), and no one will be allowed into the city until roads have been cleared. The city would continue a mandatory 8 p.m. curfew for the next two nights. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Actor Robert De Niro says a resort development company he is involved with on Barbuda will work with local officials to help with reconstruction on the island devastated by Hurricane Irma. 
 
 De Niro says in a statement that he was "beyond saddened to learn of the devastation" in Barbuda. 
 
 The actor is a principal in the Paradise Found Nobu Resort planned for Barbuda. Construction has not yet started on the project. 
 
 He said the company will work with local officials to "to successfully rebuild what nature has taken away from us." 
 
 Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne says 90 percent of the structures and vehicles on the small island were destroyed in the storm. A 2-year-old boy was killed. About 1,400 people live on the island and most have now been evacuated to Antigua. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 The State Department says it and the Defense Department are resuming their evacuation of U.S. citizens from Sint Maarten via a military flight to Puerto Rico. 
 
 State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the department is communicating with Americans there through social media, radio, and by phone. 
 
 The department also is coordinating with AirBnB to identify and communicate with U.S. citizens not located at hotels who may have rented residences on the island. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 Vice President Mike Pence says Hurricane Irma is a "storm of historic, epic proportions." 
 
 Pence spoke Sunday afternoon while visiting the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington. He says that President Donald Trump has been monitoring the storm "24/7." 
 
 Pence says "the people of Florida need to know that our hearts and our prayers and all of our efforts are with them and will be with them until this storm passes." 
 
 Pence says Irma "continues to be a very dangerous storm" and he urged people to "heed the warnings of local officials" to either shelter in place or evacuate, depending on where they are. 
 
 He says Irma is a "very dangerous storm" and a "life-threatening storm." 
 
 Pence says "it's enormously important that every American in the path of this storm take the warnings of state and local officials to heart." 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:30 p.m. 
 
 Florida Power & Light says it will be weeks, not days, before electricity is fully restored because of the damage being done by Hurricane Irma. 
 
 Spokesman Rob Gould said Sunday that an estimated 3.4 million homes and businesses will lose power once the worst of Irma reaches the Florida mainland. He expects thousands of miles (kilometers) of poles and lines will need to be replaced, particularly on the Gulf coast. As of Sunday afternoon, about 1.5 million customers were without power. 
 
 He said 17,000 restoration workers from as far away as California and Massachusetts are already stationed around the state, but it will take time to rebuild the system. 
 
 The utility covers much of the state, including most cities on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast south of Tampa. It does not cover Tampa and St. Petersburg, two major cities in Irma's forecast path. 
 
 ____ 
 
 1:30 p.m. 
 
 At least 25 people in one Florida county have been arrested for violating a curfew imposed as Hurricane Irma approached the state. 
 
 Palm Beach County authorities say the arrests were made after a 3 p.m. Saturday curfew was imposed. The misdemeanor charge can carry a fine of up to $500 and potentially 60 days in jail. 
 
 Officials announced the curfew as a safety measure and to prevent looting and other crimes. They say some of those arrested could face other charges, such as drug possession or drunken driving. 
 
 The curfew will be lifted after a storm damage assessment is done. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:30 p.m. 
 
 A meteorologist calculates that Hurricane Irma will dump about 10 trillion gallons (38 trillion liters) of rain on Florida over a day-and-a-half time period. That's about 500,000 gallons (1.9 trillion liters) for every Florida resident. 
 
 Private meteorologist Ryan Maue of WeatherBell Analytics based his calculations on weather service forecasts. He also calculates it will dump 6 trillion gallons (23 trillion liters) on Georgia. 
 
 By comparison, Hurricane Harvey, which stalled over the Texas coast, dumped about 20 trillion gallons (76 trillion liters) on Texas and 7 trillion gallons (26 trillion liters) of rain on Louisiana in about five days. One place around Houston got more than 50 inches (130 centimeters) of rain. Irma is expected to crawl steadily through the Sunshine State. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center projects 15 to 20 inches (38 to 50 centimeters) of rain with spots up to 25 inches (64 centimeters) for the Florida Keys. Western Florida is forecast to get 10 to 15 inches of rain (25 to 38 centimeters), with as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) in spots. The rest of Florida and southeastern Georgia is projected to get 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) of rain, with isolated outbursts up to 16 inches (40 centimeters). 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:30 p.m. 
 
 Emergency workers in inflatable boats are navigating flooded streets along Havana's coast, where thousands of people left their homes for safer ground before Hurricane Irma hit Cuba. 
 
 Seawater has penetrated as much as 1,600 feet (500 meters) inland in parts of the city. Trees are toppled, roofs have been torn off, cement water tanks have fallen from roofs to the ground and electrical lines are down. 
 
 Elena Villar is a Havana resident whose home of 30 years filled with more than 6 feet (2 meters) of water. 
 
 She was on the edge of tears Sunday as she said: "I have lost everything." 
 
 Villar and her mother spent the night huddling in the lobby of a higher building nearby as the storm raked the city. 
 
 In her words: "I have never seen a disaster like this." 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:30 p.m. 
 
 Thanks to Hurricane Irma, Savannah, Georgia, has been evacuated for the second time in less than a year. Atlanta, meanwhile, is under a tropical-storm warning for the first time ever. 
 
 Nearly all of Georgia was under some type of severe-weather warning Sunday as Irma churned near Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicted the storm's center to cross Monday into southwest Georgia, where a hurricane warning was issued for communities including Albany and Valdosta. 
 
 Portions of western Alabama and coastal South Carolina were also under tropical-storm warnings. 
 
 The National Weather Service confirmed it had never before issued a tropical-storm warning for Atlanta, where wind gusts could reach 55 mph (88 kph). That's nothing new to Savannah and the rest of coastal Georgia, which evacuated last October for Hurricane Matthew. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:10 p.m. 
 
 The White House says President Donald Trump has received a "comprehensive update" on Hurricane Irma. 
 
 Irma plowed into the Florida Keys on Sunday and was forecast to march up the state's west coast. 
 
 Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and several Cabinet members participated in the briefing from Camp David — the presidential retreat where Trump has spent the weekend monitoring the storm. 
 
 Other administration officials joined in from the White House or Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington. 
 
 Pence and several Cabinet secretaries are planning to visit FEMA headquarters later Sunday. 
 
 The White House says Trump has spoken with the governors of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Irma could affect all four states. 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he also spoke with Trump on Sunday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:05 p.m. 
 
 Deputies shot and wounded a burglar and arrested his accomplice at a Florida home as Hurricane Irma blew in. 
 
 The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release Sunday that the homeowners in Weston were out of town but saw the burglars remotely inside the house through a home surveillance system. 
 
 Deputies responded shortly before 3 a.m. and one of the two juvenile males was shot outside the home. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The other person was arrested. 
 
 Their names were not immediately released. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:55 p.m. 
 
 High winds are impeding Miami authorities' ability to reach a construction crane toppled by Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The crane fell onto a high-rise building that's under construction. It's in a bayfront area filled with hotels and high-rise condo and office buildings, near AmericanAirlines Arena. 
 
 Miami-Dade County Director of Communications Mike Hernandez said emergency personnel couldn't immediately respond to the scene because of high winds. Authorities urged people to avoid the area after the Sunday morning collapse. It wasn't clear if there were any injuries. 
 
 Miami City Manager Daniel Alfonso said the approximately two-dozen other cranes in the city are still upright and built to withstand significant wind gusts. 
 
 The tower cranes working on construction sites throughout the city were a concern ahead of Irma. Moving the massive equipment, weighing up to 30,000 pounds, is a slow process that would have taken about two weeks, according to city officials. 
 
 ____ 
 
 12:20 p.m. 
 
 Florida sheriff's deputies rescued a couple who tried to ride out Hurricane Irma on a small sailboat. 
 
 Christine Weiss of the Martin County Sheriff's Office said a passer-by noticed the couple was in trouble Sunday. It happened just off Jensen Beach, which is on the Atlantic Coast north of Palm Beach. 
 
 Video shows a Martin County patrol boat manned by deputies John Howell and James Holloran and Detective Mathew Fritchie pulling up next to the sailboat. 
 
 The task of helping the couple onto their boat was precarious as both boats bobbed in choppy water. Deputies then took them to shore. 
 
 The names of the couple were not released. They were not injured. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:10 p.m. 
 
 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the death toll caused by Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean territory of St. Maarten has risen to four. 
 
 Rutte said Sunday, "unfortunately there are more victims to mourn" after the bodies of two people washed up on the island. He says the identities of the victims are not yet known. 
 
 One of the four people listed as victims by the Dutch authorities died of natural causes as the Category 5 hurricane lashed St. Maarten, badly damaging or destroying 70 percent of homes on the Dutch part of the Caribbean island. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:40 a.m. 
 
 Some Miami Police officers remembered to pack an essential in their hurricane survival pack: Cuban coffee known as cafecito. 
 
 The department tweeted a picture showing a coffee maker atop a camp stove. It read: "As our officers ride out the storm, some have brought the (hashtag) Miami essentials to help them get through the night." 
 
 The strongly caffeinated brew is a staple in Miami. 
 
 Former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said this week he'd check Cuban coffee stands to gauge Irma's impacts on Miami. 
 
 Fugate is known for creating the so-called "Waffle House Index." Fugate used the Southern restaurant chain as a benchmark for how quickly local communities could rebound from hurricanes. 
 
 Waffle House are known for being open most of the time. Under the index, a closed Waffle House was a bad sign. There are no Waffle Houses in Miami, so Fugate suggested an alternative. 
 
 "Cuban coffee stands - if those are closed, it is bad," he told AP. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:25 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump has spoken with the governors of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee as Hurricane Irma moves north. 
 
 All four states could be affected by the storm, which struck the Florida Keys on Sunday. 
 
 The White House says Trump spoke with the officials Sunday from the Camp David presidential retreat, where he was spending the weekend. 
 
 Trump has been in regular contract with Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio over the past week. Chief of staff John Kelly spoke Sunday with Florida Sen. Bill Nelson. 
 
 Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were scheduled to receive an updated Irma briefing on Sunday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:15 a.m. 
 
 As Hurricane Irma evacuees fill up Atlanta hotels and shelters, folks are getting creative to offer them a hand. 
 
 About 100 of America's top chefs who had gathered for their annual summit changed gears. They pivoted their planned Monday agenda on "heritage grains" and "how to cut food waste." Now, instead, the chefs will prepare a gourmet feast for Irma refugees and serve it at a church. 
 
 Hotels were full Sunday morning. At the luxury Georgian Terrace Hotel, staff were flexible with rules to accommodate evacuees. Guests walked pit bulls through the lobby. Large families pulled roller bags and clutched blankets as they squeezed into small rooms without enough beds. 
 
 A block away, a church offered free hugs for evacuees. 
 
 And a chalkboard sign outside a restaurant offered a discount: "30% OFF Food with FLORIDA ID for Hurricane evacuees." 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:05 a.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center says Category 4 Hurricane Irma is now "headed for the southwest Florida coast" as winds continue to pick up speed in all of South Florida. 
 
 Irma continues to be armed with 130 mph winds as its large eye passes north of the Keys. 
 
 Storm surge is forecast for 10 to 15 feet in southwestern Florida. 
 
 Hurricane-force winds are continuing throughout southern Florida, including the Keys. The hurricane center warns that winds affecting upper floors of high-rise building will be much stronger than at ground level. 
 
 The hurricane center also emphasizes that Irma will bring life-threatening wind to much of Florida regardless of the exact track of its center. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:55 a.m. 
 
 Puerto Rico's governor says there will be no classes on Monday because hundreds of schools still do not have power or water after the island took a hit from Hurricane Irma. 
 
 Ricardo Rossello said Sunday that more than 600 schools don't have power and more than 400 don't have water. Another nearly 400 schools don't have either, and dozens are flooded. 
 
 Nearly 600,000 people in the U.S. territory remain without power, representing 40 percent of customers of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:50 a.m. 
 
 The National Weather Service says that a crane has collapsed in Miami as strong wind from Hurricane Irma blows in. 
 
 It's one of two-dozen in the city. 
 
 The weather service's Miami office said in a Tweet that one of its employees witnessed the crane boom and counterweight collapse in downtown Miami. The employee captured video of the collapse. 
 
 It wasn't immediately clear if the collapse caused damage or injuries. 
 
 The cranes have been a concern. 
 
 Construction sites across Irma's potential path in Florida were locked down to remove or secure building materials, tools and debris that could be flung by Irma's winds. 
 
 But the horizontal arms of the tall tower cranes remained loose despite the potential danger of collapse. According to city officials, it would have taken about two weeks to move the cranes and there wasn't enough time. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:40 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma's large eye is beginning to move slowly away from the Florida Keys as it continues north with 130 mph (215 kph) winds. 
 
 The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that the center of core of Irma is about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Key West. 
 
 Irma is so wide that a gust of 93 mph (150 kph) was measured near Key Largo at the other end of the Florida Keys. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:35 a.m. 
 
 A Florida Keys refuge for a unique subspecies of deer is in the crosshairs of Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The Florida Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key is about 10 miles from where the storm made landfall Sunday morning. 
 
 It's the only place in world where you find Key deer, a unique subspecies of white-tailed deer about 3 feet tall at the shoulder — the size of a large dog. 
 
 The herd faced a potential extinction event last year when the first screwworm infestation in the U.S. in 30 years. Fewer than 1,000 of the endangered deer remain, and the parasites that eat the flesh of living mammals killed 135 Key deer before state and federal agriculture authorities stopped the infestation earlier this year. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:30 a.m. 
 
 France's Interior Minister expressed relief that Hurricane Jose spared French Caribbean islands St. Martin and St. Barts further devastation. 
 
 Gerard Collomb, speaking at a press conference in Paris Sunday, said that Jose passed miles away. 
 
 Meanwhile, a spokesman for France's government defended its handling of the hurricane crisis in St. Martin and St. Barts amid criticism that many in the local population felt abandoned by authorities. 
 
 Christophe Castaner, speaking in an interview with Europe1-CNews-Les Echos on Sunday, said he "perfectly (understood) the anger" of residents after Hurricane Irma tore through the French Caribbean islands, killing several people, destroying houses and cutting off the water supply. Some shops were subsequently looted by locals. 
 
 But he insisted the means deployed by the government were robust — with emergency help given "first priority." 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:25 a.m. 
 
 Florida officials say 127,000 people across the state have taken refuge in more than 500 shelters as Hurricane Irma takes aim at the state. 
 
 The state Division of Emergency Management did not specify which shelters had the most people. 
 
 Meanwhile, utility officials were warning that the storm could leave millions without power by the time it finishes moving through the state. Already, more than 1.3 million Florida customers were in the dark on Sunday morning as the hurricane made landfall in the Florida Keys. 
 
 Florida Power & Light, the state's largest utility, is reporting on Sunday that many people living in the three populous south Florida counties of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach are without power. State officials say another 64,000 customers who rely on smaller utilities have also lost electricity. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:10 a.m. 
 
 For the first time, a tropical storm warning has been issued for the city of Atlanta. 
 
 The National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia, said Sunday it was the first time such a warning had been issued for the metro Atlanta area. High wind warnings have been issued in previous storms. 
 
 The warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours. Peak winds were expected to reach 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) with gusts of up to 55 mph (88 kph). 
 
 The weather service says storm threats include damage to porches, carports, sheds and unanchored mobile homes. Roads may become impassable due to debris. Power outages could occur. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:50 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma became tied for the seventh strongest storm to make landfall in U.S. history by a key measurement of atmospheric pressure. 
 
 Hurricane Irma made landfall at Cudjoe Key at 9:10 a.m. with a minimum central pressure of 929 millibars. Atmospheric pressure is one of the major measurements meteorologists use to describe storms. The lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. 
 
 Only six storms on record had lower pressures when striking the United States, including Katrina. When Katrina hit in 2005, it had lower pressure but its wind speed kept it at Category 3. 
 
 The 929 pressure mark ties Irma with the deadly 1928 Lake Okeechobee hurricane. 
 
 Irma's arrival also marks another first. 
 
 Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach says this is the first year on record that the United States has been hit by two storms that were Category 4 upon landfall: Harvey and Irma. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:45 a.m. 
 
 As Hurricane Irma threatened to wallop the St. Petersburg area, several folks got out on the beach ahead of the storm. 
 
 As they milled about Sunday morning, they looked at sailboats bobbing in the wind as the sun rose and took selfies and photos of the beach. 
 
 St. Petersburg resident John Leuders says he feels safe. With stores out of plywood, he tore down part of his fence to board up windows. He came down to the beach out of curiosity and noted the strong winds along the water. 
 
 Another resident, Sally Carlson, says she's been around for other storms and hurricanes, but this one scares her. She says she wanted to see the city one more time before any problems. 
 
 She adds: "I'm hoping it comes out unscathed, but I know better." 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:40 a.m. 
 
 Florida utility officials say more than 1 million customers have lost power as Hurricane Irma hits the state. 
 
 Florida Power & Light Company said that nearly 1.1 million customers statewide were without power Sunday morning. 
 
 About 574,000 of those outages were in Miami-Dade County, while there were 360,000 in Broward and nearly 136,000 in Palm Beach County. 
 
 The massive storm made landfall in the Florida Keys, and its center was forecast to move up the state's Gulf Coast. But the effects are being felt far from the center because of Irma's size. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:25 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma has made landfall in the Florida Keys. 
 
 The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center of the massive hurricane made landfall on Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m. 
 
 Its top sustained winds are 130 mph (215 kph). 
 
 Forecasters say a gust of 106 mph (171 kph) was reported on Big Pine Key. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:00 a.m. 
 
 The Florida Highway Patrol says two people have died in a head-on crash in a county where Hurricane Irma's wind and rain have started to blow in. 
 
 Agency spokesman Greg Bueno said the crash happened Sunday morning in Hardee County, which is southeast of Tampa. 
 
 It wasn't immediately clear what role the weather may have played. He says troopers are investigating the crash and no further details were immediately available. 
 
 Bueno said in an email that the area is starting to feel the effects of Hurricane Irma. 
 
 The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the county, saying a severe thunderstorm was in the area. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:55 a.m. 
 
 The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the core of Hurricane Irma will likely chug directly for the highly populated Tampa-St. Petersburg region after it gets through raking the Keys, but the storm is so massive all of Florida will be feeling the Category 4 hurricane's fury. 
 
 The center of the storm was just off Key West Sunday morning. 
 
 The latest forecast of Irma's eye — which still can change — keeps the nearly 400-mile wide (640-kilometer) storm in the water, barely off the coast of southwestern Florida's Fort Myers and Naples. 
 
 But that also puts that region in the strongest northeast quadrant of the storm, where storm surge, wind, rain and tornado threats are highest. 
 
 And a few miles wiggle could bring Irma's eye — which has measured 30 miles wide (48 kilometers) — inland. 
 
 The storm is moving slowly, about 8 mph (13 kilometers per hour) so its eye is likely to hit the Tampa region around 2 a.m. Monday, but damaging winds, storm, surge, rain and tornadoes will reach the area long before then. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:45 a.m. 
 
 Doctors were forced to talk a Florida woman through delivering her baby at home while Hurricane Irma's outer bands lashed Miami. 
 
 The City of Miami said on its Twitter account early Sunday that firefighters couldn't respond in time to the woman in the Little Haiti neighborhood. So doctors from Jackson Health System talked her through the birth of the baby girl at home. 
 
 Authorities say firefighters were able to make it to the woman Sunday morning and take her to the hospital after the girl was born. 
 
 Miami-Dade fire spokeswoman Erika Benitez said the fire department is responding to calls on a case-by-case basis as strong winds and rain lash the area. They are encouraging residents to stay inside because of downed power lines and debris. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:20 a.m. 
 
 Florida authorities have issued another stern warning about Hurricane Irma: Shooting bullets into the storm won't help keep you safe. 
 
 The Pasco County Sheriff's Office tweeted late Saturday: "DO NOT shoot weapons @ (hashtag) Irma. You won't make it turn around (and) it will have very dangerous side effects." 
 
 The sheriff's office, which is in the Tampa Bay-area, was responding to a Facebook event page created two Florida men inviting people to shoot at Irma. 
 
 The page reads: "YO SO THIS GOOFY ... LETS SHOW IRMA THAT WE SHOOT FIRST ..." 
 
 The invitation presumably was a joke, but 80,000 people indicated they were "going" or "interested" in the event. 
 
 In a tweet early Sunday, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office asked the thousands of people who had shared the page to also share their request for volunteers needed at hurricane shelters. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8 a.m. 
 
 Forecasters say Hurricane Irma's center is poised to blow across the Florida Keys. 
 
 The northern eyewall of the storm reached the island chain early Sunday. 
 
 The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory that the center of the storm remained offshore but was going to make landfall soon. The storm was centered about 20 miles east (30 km) of Key West, and it was moving north-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph) 
 
 The storm had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215) kph. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 90 mph (145 kph) near its Key West office. 
 
 After hitting the Florida Keys, Irma was forecast to move up the state's Gulf Coast later Sunday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:55 a.m. 
 
 The National Weather Service in Miami has issued tornado warnings for a wide swath of Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward counties in South Florida. 
 
 Officials say the band of rain and tornado producing cells is moving quickly. 
 
 There have been no reports of tornadoes touching down. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:50 a.m. 
 
 Authorities are urging people who chose to ride out Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys to remain indoors until the storm passes. 
 
 The storm's eyewall reached the chain of islands Sunday morning. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 90 mph (145 kph) near its Key West office. 
 
 In a Facebook post early Sunday, Key West Police urged people who stayed for the hurricane to remain where they took shelter until the storm had passed completely. They also urged people not to go outside when the eye of the storm is over there area, a time period when conditions can seem deceptively calm. 
 
 John Huston, who is riding out the storm from his home in Key Largo in the upper Keys, says the wind gusts are strong in his area. 
 
 "Water level is higher today," he said via text message Sunday morning. "Incredible wind that won't stop." 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:05 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma's eyewall has reached the Florida Keys. 
 
 The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm's northern eyewall reached the lower Florida Keys Sunday morning. The eyewall is a band of clouds surrounding the center of the storm that has intense winds and strong rain. 
 
 The hurricane center says Key West International Airport has measured sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph). 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:00 a.m. 
 
 Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in Florida as Hurricane Irma's winds and rain lash the state. 
 
 Irma's center was over water off Key West early Sunday, but places including Miami were being hit with strong winds and rain. 
 
 Florida Power & Light Company said that about 430,000 customers were without power Sunday morning. Miami-Dade County had the most outages with about 250,000. Broward County had 130,000 outages. Palm Beach County had more than 40,000 outages. 
 
 The utility said that it has mobilized crews and is working to restore power as it can. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:30 a.m. 
 
 With Hurricane Irma closing in on Florida, the storm's winds are already lashing parts of the state. 
 
 In Key West, Carol Walterson Stroud and her family are huddled in a third floor apartment at a senior center. 
 
 Stroud said early Sunday that the wind was blowing hard, but her family was OK. In a text message to a reporter, she said: "We are good so far." 
 
 As of 6 a.m. EDT, forecasters say the Category 4 storm is centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of the island. 
 
 The 60-year-old is with her husband and granddaughter and their dog. Stroud says she plans to step outside once the "eye" of the hurricane passes over later Sunday. 
 
 Meanwhile, to the north, access to all of Pinellas County's barrier islands, including the popular spring break destination of Clearwater Beach, has been shut off. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:10 a.m. 
 
 The eye of Hurricane Irma is very close to the lower Florida Keys. 
 
 As of 6 a.m. EDT, the U.S. National Hurricane Center says the Category 4 storm is centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south-southeast of Key West, Florida, and is moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kph). 
 
 Irma's maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 kph). The hurricane center says weakening is forecast but Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves through the Florida Keys and near Florida's west coast. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:10 a.m. 
 
 France and the Netherlands say their islands in the Caribbean were spared major damage from Hurricane Jose, which passed farther away from the islands than expected. 
 
 The Sunday announcements — coming from France's national weather service and the Dutch navy — were good news for islands that had already been devastated by Hurricane Irma last week. 
 
 Meteo-France said Jose's center passed overnight about 75 miles (125 kilometers) from St. Martin and 80 miles (135 kilometers) from St. Barts, though it still produced gales of up to 48 mph (80 kph) around the islands. 
 
 In a tweet Sunday, the Netherlands' navy says the situation after Jose passed north of the islands overnight is "better than expected." Scores of marines and troops will resume their efforts to restore vital infrastructure and distribute food and water on St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. 
 
 In a separate tweet, the navy said the security situation on St. Maarten, which saw widespread looting and robberies after Hurricane Irma, has improved thanks to patrols by marines and police flown to the island to help overwhelmed local law enforcement. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:10 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma has sped up slightly and its eye is about to move across the lower Florida Keys early Sunday. 
 
 The hurricane is centered about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south-southeast of Key West, Florida, and is moving north-northwest near 8 mph (13 kph). 
 
 Irma is a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph (215 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says weakening is forecast but Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves through the Florida Keys and near Florida's west coast. 
 
 Tens of thousands in Florida are huddled in shelters as the hurricane threatens to make a catastrophic hit on the state. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5:10 a.m. 
 
 Dutch King Willem-Alexander is flying to the Caribbean to meet survivors of Hurricane Irma who were evacuated there from the hard-hit island of St. Maarten. 
 
 Meanwhile, Dutch tourists stranded for days on St. Maarten are hoping to finally get flights home. 
 
 Willem-Alexander was to fly Sunday to the island of Curacao to visit a hospital where more than 60 patients from St. Maarten who require kidney dialysis were flown for treatment over the last two days by the Dutch military. 
 
 If the weather is good enough, the monarch will later fly onward to St. Maarten and two other smaller islands hit by Irma on Wednesday to offer his support to the thousands of residents and Dutch marines helping to clear the island, where some 70 percent of homes were badly damaged or destroyed by the Category 5 storm. 
 
 The Dutch navy tweeted Sunday that it plans to evacuate tourists from the island's shattered resorts. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:10 a.m. 
 
 The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Irma is bearing down on the lower Florida Keys early Sunday. 
 
 A National Ocean Service station on a coral reef near the Keys has recorded sustained winds of 66 mph (105 kph) with a gust up to 85 mph (137 kph). Key West International Airport has measured sustained winds of 43 mph (69 kph) with a gust up to 73 mph (117 kph). 
 
 Irma is centered about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south-southeast of Key West, Florida, and is moving northwest near 6 mph (9 kph). 
 
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 3:15 a.m. 
 
 A re-strengthened Hurricane Irma is continuing to move toward the western Florida Keys early Sunday. 
 
 The hurricane has regained Category 4 status with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph (210 kph) and is centered about 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Key West, Florida. 
 
 The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the Miami Executive Airport has measured a sustained wind speed of 46 mph (74 kph) with a gust of up to 61 mph (98 kph). 
 
 Tens of thousands in Florida are huddled in shelters as the hurricane threatens to make a catastrophic hit on the state. 
 
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 2:10 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma has regained Category 4 strength as it moves toward Florida, where it's feared to make a devastating hit. 
 
 Irma's maximum sustained winds increased early Sunday to near 130 mph (210 kph) and it's expected to gain a little more strength as it moves through the Straits of Florida and remain a powerful hurricane as it approaches Florida. 
 
 Irma is centered about 70 miles (115 kilometers) south-southeast of Key West, Florida, and is moving northwest near 6 mph (9 kph). 
 
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 1:40 a.m. 
 
 Hurricane Irma is closing in on the Florida Keys with top winds of 120 mph (190 kph) early Sunday as forecasters monitored a crucial shift in its trajectory that could keep its ferocious eye off the southwest Florida coast and over warm gulf water. 
 
 Tens of thousands of people huddling in shelters watched for updates as the storm swung to the west, now potentially sparing Tampa as well Miami the catastrophic head-on blow forecasters had been warning about. 
 
 But those few miles meant St. Petersburg could get a direct hit, rather than its more populous twin across Tampa Bay. 
 
 The leading edge of the immense storm bent palm trees and spit rain across South Florida, knocking out power to more than 170,000 homes and businesses, as the eye approached Key West.
– Hurricane Irma has made a second landfall in Florida as it moves up the state's west coast. No. 2 came at 3:35pm at Marco Island, about 15 miles from Naples, while Irma was a Category 3 storm, per the Guardian. As of 5pm, it had been downgraded to a Category 2, though winds were still a powerful 110mph. That is technically below "major hurricane" status, notes the AP, though the distinction may be small comfort to cities along its path. Perhaps the biggest concern continues to be the densely populated Tampa-St. Petersburg area, thought to be "woefully ill-equipped" to handle such a big storm, per the Washington Post. Irma should arrive there after midnight. “Today is going to the be the long day,” says Mark DeMaria of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Though Miami avoided a direct hit, the driving rain and storm surges have flooded parts of the downtown area, particularly the Brickell neighborhood. And two construction cranes have collapsed onto buildings in Miami, though no casualties were reported. In Palm Bay, also on the east coast, a related tornado destroyed six mobile homes, reports USA Today. Irma is on track to hit Georgia Monday morning, and a state of emergency was in effect for all 159 counties. On Sunday morning, Irma made its first landfall at Cudjoe Key in the Florida Keys.