Hurricane Irma: Latest Need-To-Know Facts

MIAMI, FL — The monster, 400-mile wide Hurricane Irma reached the Florida Keys early Sunday morning, bringing torrential rains and howling winds, knocking out power and continuing its relentless path. Almost the entire state was put under a hurricane warning as the storm built new power as it passed over the warm water of the Florida Straits, and Hurricane Irma reached Category 4 strength again. Though since downgraded to a Category 2 storm, Irma remains extremely dangerous as it churns toward Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg. Florida is taking the brunt of the storm, but massive flooding is a concern in Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.

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Here are the latest need-to-know facts; share this with your neighbors on Facebook and Twitter:

• Hurricane Irma: “This is as real as it gets,” the National Weather Service said Sunday as the enormous storm slammed into the Florida Keys early Sunday. By evening, the storm had been downgraded to a Category 2, but evidence of its power are found all along southern Florida. Miami's downtown area of Brickell, full of high rise office buildings and luxury condos, looked like a river, two construction cranes have been twisted and toppled, at least two tornadoes have touched down and three deaths in Florida have been attributed to the storm that killed 20 as it tore across the Caribbean late last week. In an unusual statement in response to a flippant, widely circulated Facebook post, the sheriff in Pasco County warned people not to shoot their guns at the hurricane, saying it won't turn it around and likely would have dangerous consequences. Also, President Trump has issued a major disaster declaration for the state.
• Hurricane Irma live webcams: Live webcams are documenting the powerful hurricane. Find out where they are now.
• Shelter leaks as Irma approaches: A shelter in the Fort Myers area began leaking just as the eye of Hurricane Irma was about to approach.
• Irma weakens, still headed for Tampa area: Irma was downgraded to a Category 2 storm, but was still considered a dangerous storm as it churned toward Tampa Bay, packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
• Emergency calls may go unanswered: The Sarasota Police Department alerted the community that once winds reach 45 mph, emergency officials may be unable to respond to emergency calls. Miami police delivered a similar message to that community earlier in the day.
• Baby boom, real or not? Hospital workers talked a woman through a home delivery Sunday morning as hundreds of pregnant women seek shelter in hospitals.
• Emergency curfews: Clay County, Boca Raton, Lee County, Tampa, Temple Terrace, St. Petersburg and Manatee County, Miami Beach, Palm Beach and West Palm Beach have imposed emergency curfews.

Also See: What Exactly Is Storm Surge, And Why Does It Have Floridians Worried?

You may also want to read about looters caught on camera, failing wastewater treatment plants in Polk County, crafty car dealer who took parking garage spots intended for residents, how flamingos at Busch Gardens are faring, life-threatening storm surges, the millions of Floridians without power, evacuees who left pets behind, how to report a power outage, a touching story about a hurricane-eve gathering at a pizza joint, how people in the Tampa Bay area are responding, a cruise to nowhere, port closings, a call for blood donations, shark myths spinning around the internet, and school and government closings.

Photo: Recently planted palm trees lie strewn across the road as Hurricane Irma passes by, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee).