Hurricane Irma Hits Puerto Rico: Pictures And Videos Show Devastation

Hurricane Irma is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever, and Wednesday night the storm skirted Puerto Rico. The Category 5 storm has had sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. The storm moved northwest towards the Dominican Republic and Haiti Thursday morning, and will possibly make landfall in the U.S. this weekend. The storm has slowed slightly to around 180 miles per hours.

The storm has so far killed nine people, eight in St. Martin and St. Bart, and one in Barbuda. After brushing Puerto Rico, more than 1 million people were left without power on the island. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Thursday morning that officials will begin assessing the damage on the island.

The storm could not come at a worse time for Puerto Rico which has been ravaged by an economic crisis for years. Infrastructure in parts of the U.S. territory was already in disrepair and officials warned that the damage could take months to fix.

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico which will allow it to receive federal funds to help with the cleanup and repair of the island.

The island is fiscally bankrupt and under the control of a federal fiscal control board. Over 45 percent of the country lives below the federal poverty line.

Irma had already wreaked havoc on the Caribbean Islands of Barbuda and St. Martin. On Barbuda 95 percent of the buildings were damaged, leaving the island barely inhabitable, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda.

Trump has also declared an emergency for Florida, who is beginning mandatory evacuations in the southernmost parts of the state. Gov. Rick Scott has activated the state's entire National Guard.