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British expats and holidaymakers in Florida today told of their fear as Hurricane Irma left a trail of destruction across the Sunshine State.
Matt and Zoe Caveney, from Liverpool, were forced to spend much of their honeymoon confined to their hotel room at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Mr Caveney, 28, who married Zoe, 22, on August 5, said: “I’ve never seen rain or wind like it in my life.
“With Orlando being in central Florida we aren’t getting it as bad as the coastal towns, but there are very strong winds and heavy rain battering down. We can hear the wind battering the door and trees outside. We are currently on curfew and have been told to stay in our hotel rooms.
“We were advised to purchase enough food and water in to keep us going through the weekend.
Hurricane Irma – In pictures
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Two men walk their bicycle along a flooded street on the waterfront of Fort Lauderdale, Florida., as Hurricane Irma passes through
AP
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Boats ride out the storm in a marina in Miami, Florida.
Getty Images
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View of damages after the passage of Hurricane Irma, in Cojimar neighborhood in Havana
AFP/Getty Images
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The epic scale of Hurricane Irma has been revealed in incredible satellite images sent from the International Space Station Nasa/Randy Bresnik
Randy Bresnik/NASA
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A fallen tree crashes atop a row of cars in Miami, Florida
AFP/Getty Images
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People waded through flood-hit streets in Cuba
AP
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Sheryl and Rick Estes (R) take shelter from Hurricane Irma inside the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida.
Reuters
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Cars that have been wrecked by Hurricane Irma on the British Virgin Islands.
AP
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Debris litters the street after the passage of Hurricane Irma in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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People battle high winds and rain to take in the sights along the Miami River which is flooding as Hurricane Irma passes through on September 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida
Getty Images
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A man swims on a flooded street in Havana, Cuba
EPA
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Tourists lie on a beach, littered with palms, one day after Hurricane Irma passed the resort area in Varadero, Cuba
AP
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A stranded manatee in Manatee County, Florida. The mammal was stranded after waters receded from the Florida bay as Hurricane Irma approached
AP
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A houses is surrounded by water as Hurricane Irma passes through Naples, Florida
AP
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A defiant man braves the full force of Irma and takes a selfie as the storm strikes Miami, Florida
EPA
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Flooding in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida
Reuters
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A speed limit sign stands tilted and a power line that snapped it half lays on a building, after the passage of Hurricane Irma in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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People tend to a car that flipped over on Cape Coral Parkway during Hurricane Irma in Florida
AP
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Richard Branson posted this picture from Puerto Rico after revealing the devastation to Necker Island
@richardbranson
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A woman walks her dog in the brisk wind downtown as the weather conditions deteriorate due to Hurricane Irma in Miami, Florida
EPA
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Satellite shows Hurricane Irma as it moves on the Florida coast as Tropical Storm Jose (right) moves west in the Atlantic Ocean taken at 06:30 GMT on 11 September 2017. As Irma heads up Florida’s west coast its leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power as more than 100,000 people have taken refuge in shelters and millions have evacuated the area
Getty Images
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Firefighters Dohnovan Simpson and Jacob McGovern carry Dolores Gevaza, 83, across the courtyard in the rain at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school filled classrooms and hallways with people evacuating before Hurricane Irma makes landfall
AP
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Samantha Belk says goodbye to her maltese, Gardolf until after the hurricane in a locker room at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg, Florida
AP
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Debris is piled up next to the houses on the seashore in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Reuters
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Heavy traffic traveling north bound on Interstate 75 moves slowly, as a major evacuation has begun in preparation for Hurricane Irma
AP
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Soldiers board a Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, before they are flown to help out in the areas affected by Hurricane Irma as winds of up to 175mph left death and destruction in the Atlantic
PA
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A woman takes a break from cleaning the debris in front of a house, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Reuters
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Marie Charlotte walks through water near her house that was flooded in Malfeti, Fort Liberte, north east of Haiti
AFP/Getty Images
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Customers buy supplies and wood to secure their property in preparation of Hurricane Irma in Miami
AP
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Dfid aid is loaded onto a Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, before it is flown to the areas affected by Hurricane Irma as winds of up to 175mph left death and destruction in the Atlantic
PA
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Damage outside the “Mercure” hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin in the northeast Caribbean, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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UK Armed Forces disaster relief operation in Anguilla
MoD/Crown copyright 2017
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Edward Pastrana installs wood shutters at the Miami City Ballet in Miami Beach
AP
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UK Armed Forces disaster relief operation in Anguilla
MoD/Crown copyright 2017
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Debris and trash is seen on a beach in Cap-Haitien as Hurricane Irma approaches.
AFP/Getty Images
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Workers hang plywood in front of doors and windows at Mango’s, a salsa club, following mandatory evacuation orders in Miami Beach, Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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A nearly-deserted beach after residents and visitors evacuated from Miami Beach, Florid
AFP/Getty Images
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A family readies to evacuate from a mobile home park in the Little Haiti neighborhood ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Irma in Miami, Florida
EPA
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Motorists remove debris caused by Hurricane Irma from the road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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A young man walks along the beach covered with debris carried by strong winds in Cap Haitian, Haiti
EPA
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UK Armed Forces disaster relief operation in Anguilla
MoD/Crown copyright 2017
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the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in St. Maarten
AP
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Storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in St. Martin. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees
AP
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Flooding caused by Hurricane Irma on Charlotte Amalie, in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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Volaris Airlines ticket agent Cely Vasquez (left) attends to Mexico bound passengers at Miami International Airport
AP
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Satellite image showing the eye of Hurricane Irma (centre) is just north of the island of Hispaniola with Hurricane Katia (left) in the Gulf of Mexico, and Hurricane Jose, (right) in the Atlantic Ocean
AP
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sStellite image shows the eye Hurricane Irma just north of the island of Hispaniola. The fearsome Category 5 storm cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean
AP
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Yanina Fernandez (left) and her sister Liz, wait for an available flight to Argentina after their flight was cancelled at Miami International Airport
AP
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damage to a post office caused by Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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Aerial image of several damaged houses by Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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Residents clear debris from the road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
AP
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Cars piled on top of one another in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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Destroyed palm trees, outside the “Mercure” hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin in the northeast Caribbean, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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A car turned onto its side in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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Damage outside “Le flamboyant” hotel and resort in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin in the northeast Caribbean, after the passage of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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Devastation in Philipsburg, Saint Martin
AFP/Getty Images
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Hurricane Irma slams Saint Martin
Splash News
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Pleasure craft lie crammed against the shore in Paraquita Bay, British Virgin Islands
Reuters
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Satellite image shows Huricane Irma at 12:30 UK time. Irma cut a swathe of deadly destruction as it roared through the Caribbean, claiming at least nine lives and turning the tropical islands of St. Martin and Barbuda into mountains of rubble. One of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, Irma churned westward off the northern coast of Puerto Rico early Thursday on a potential collision course with south Florida
AFP/Getty Images
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A street in Gustavia on the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Barthelemy in the Caribbean
AFP/Getty Images
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Damage caused by hurricane Irma in Saint-Martin, Leeward Islands
Rex
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Damage caused by hurricane Irma in Saint-Martin, Leeward Islands
Rex
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Hurricane Irma evacuating traffic streaming out of Florida creeps along northbound Interstate 75 after a vehicle accident in Lake Park, Georgia, USA
epa
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Hurricane Irma slams Saint Martin
Splash News
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iew of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin
Reuters
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Hurricane Irma slams Saint Martin
Splash News
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Barbuda
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Members of the civil defence in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Reuters
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A destroyed building in Gustavia on the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Barthelemy
AFP/Getty Images
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Saint Martin
AFP/Getty Images
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Barbuda
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Rescue staff from the Municipal Emergency Management Agency check a flooded car in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
AP
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Flooded houses in Gustavia, Saint-Barthelemy
AFP/Getty Images
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People pick up debris in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Reuters
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Barbuda
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A flooded street on the French overseas island of Saint-Martin, after high winds from Hurricane Irma hit the island
AFP/Getty Images
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Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Jose in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. Jose strengthened into a category 1 hurricane, as Irma, a category 5 hurricane continues to move through the Caribbean, battering Barbuda, St. Martin and Puerto Rico
EPA
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The destruction at Sir Richard Branson’s island of Necker
Sir Richard Branson
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Saint Martin
AFP/Getty Images
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A woman pushes out floodwaters on her property in St John’s
AP
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Cars left flooded in Saint Martin
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Saint Martin is suffering catastrophic flooding
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Hurricane Irma hitting Saint Martin
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Some of the devastation left behind at Saint Martin
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Hurricane Irma hits Saint Martin
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Floodwaters run down a street in Saint Martin
Carole Greaux
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Saint Martin
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Residents in St Petersburg, Florida, carry sandbags ahead of Hurricane Irma
AP
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A satellite image shows Hurricane Irma at 11AM UK time slamming into the French Caribbean islands. Countries can be seen outlined on the image
AFP/Getty Images
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A view of the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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Employees load plywood for customers in preparation for Hurricane Irma at Lowe’s in Jacksonville, Florida
AP
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Shoppers in Florida ransacked a supermarket as they prepared for Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
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Shoppers at Costco waited up to eight hours for water and essentials in preparation for Hurricane Irma in North Miami
AFP/Getty Images
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Policemen talk to customers at a Costco shop in North Miami as mineral water is sold out and people shop ahead of Hurricane Irma
AFP/Getty Images
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Members of the Civil Defense prepare their gear ahead of Hurricane Irma, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Reuters
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People put boards on their windows in Saint Martin
AFP/Getty Images
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People load up their cars with sandbags in St Petersburg as the storm approaches
AP
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A thermal image of Harricane Irma
NOAA
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Satellite image shows Hurricane Irma at 10.45am UK time followed by Tropical Storm Jose
AFP/Getty Images
“We’re pretty calm about the whole thing — if a little apprehensive.”
Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow, a British couple living in Tampa Bay, opened their doors to more than 20 stranded holidaymakers unable to escape from the storm.
The couple, who became known as “Britain’s first gay dads” after fathering twins conceived via donor eggs and carried to term by a surrogate mother in 1999, moved from Essex to Florida six months ago. They had originally planned to escape the path of the hurricane but were forced to stay due to a petrol shortage.
They said the mood in the house was “very solemn and nobody knows what to expect” with house guests feeling “really scared and nervous”.
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow told the Standard: “We’ve cut our own supplies here to let people in but we’re willing to do that because we don’t want to see these people on the street, it isn’t fair.
“We got as much food as we could, but they’ve been gouging the prices and I think that people without much money have been stuck. For a bottle of water the shops were putting it up to $8-$10 but they were normally $1. The fact that people are trying to make money out of it is just awful.”
But Danny Lyons, sheltering at the house, said he had seen “worse rain in Manchester”.
Mr Lyons, who had travelled out to Florida for work, added: “To be honest, it’s been a massive anticlimax.”
Former University of Birmingham student Stephanie Fonteyn, who lives in Miami with her husband Sebastian and son Theo, eight, managed to leave the city an hour before the mandatory evacuation.
The family are sheltering in a friend’s holiday villa in Davenport, located inland between Orlando and Tampa. The artist, originally from Switzerland, was glad to be out of Miami but was “panicked” by the situation.
Miami Beach a ghost town as Florida braces for Hurricane Irma
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A nearly-deserted beach after residents and visitors evacuated from Miami Beach, Florida
AFP/Getty Images
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Edward Pastrana installs wood shutters at the Miami City Ballet in Miami Beach
AP
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Workers finish covering the ground floor windows of the Chesterfield Hotel as the city prepares for the approaching Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
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A 55 Chevy sits in front of the closed Oceans Ten Restaurant at the Edison Hotel on Ocean Drive as the city prepares for the approaching Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
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The Boulevard Hotel remains open as the city prepares for the approaching Hurricane Irma in Miami Beach, Florida
Getty Images
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The Carlye Hotel on Ocean Drive is closed as the city prepares for the approaching Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
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The Breakwater Hotel on Ocean Drive is closed as the city prepares for the approaching Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
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A nearly-deserted beach after residents and visitors evacuated from Miami Beach, Florida
AFP/Getty Images
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A runner jogs on a nearly-deserted beach in Miami Beach, Florid
AFP/Getty Images
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A nearly-deserted beach after a mandatory evacuation order from Miami Beach, Florida
AFP/Getty Images
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The Leslie Hotel on Ocean Drive is closed as the city prepares for the approaching Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
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AP
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A man takes a photo with his cellphone alongside a boarded-up restaurant following mandatory evacuation orders in Miami Beach, Florida
AFP/Getty Images
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Trash cans and all beach items will be removed from the beach in preparing for approaching Hurricane Irma
Getty Images
She said: “On Saturday I was so panicked by it all that I felt like I was going to vomit everywhere.
“We feel anxious but we feel okay where we are at the moment — but it’s a waiting game. It feels like it’s been going on forever.
“I have family and friends all over Europe and they’re all really worried.
“In some ways it’s worse for them watching it from so far away feeling they can do nothing, so they’re very anxious as well.”
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