Hurricane Jose: French weather agency declares top alert for St Martin, St Barts
A picture shows a wrecked car in the streets of Marigot, on September 9, 2017 in Saint-Martin island devastated by Irma hurricane. Officials on the island of Guadeloupe, where French aid efforts are being coordinated, suspended boat crossings to the hardest-hit territories of St. Martin and St. Barts where 11 people have died. Two days after Hurricane Irma swept over the eastern Caribbean, killing at least 17 people and devastating thousands of homes, some islands braced for a second battering from Hurricane Jose this weekend.<br />Martin BUREAU / AFP
France’s meteorological agency on Saturday issued its highest warning for the Caribbean islands of St Martin and St Barts as Hurricane Jose bore down, three days after they were hit by Hurricane Irma.
The alert warned of a “dangerous event of exceptional intensity,” with winds that could reach 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, and strong rains and high waves.
St Barts is a French overseas territory, as is the French part of St Martin, which is divided between France and the Netherlands.
Twelve people were killed on the two islands by Hurricane Irma, thousands of buildings were flattened and the authorities are struggling to control looting.
The French state-owned reinsurer CCR on Saturday estimated the damage at 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
Irma is now heading for Florida, where a total of 6.3 million people have been ordered to evacuate, according to state authorities.
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