Hurricane Irma damage considerable - Macron - BBC News
The French Caribbean territories St Martin and St Barts are badly damaged, France's president says.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Hurricane Irma has caused considerable damage on French island territories in the Caribbean, and casualties are expected, France's president says.

The impact of Irma on St Martin and St Barts would be "hard and cruel", Emmanuel Macron added.

His overseas affairs minister later confirmed at least two people dead and another two seriously injured.

The storm damaged more than 90% of buildings on Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister said.

The category five hurricane, the highest possible level, is now passing over the northern Virgin Islands.

The most powerful storm in a decade, with wind speeds of 295km/h (185mph), is also forecast by the US National Hurricane Center to pass near or just north of Puerto Rico, then near or just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

Hurricane Irma first hit Antigua and Barbuda, before moving on to St Martin and Saint Barthélemy - the French holiday destination popularly known as St Barts.

Significant damage is also being reported in the Dutch section of St Martin, known as Sint-Maarten.

French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said the hurricane had caused major floods, and destroyed buildings, including four of the "most solid" on the island.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from at-risk areas across the Caribbean. Residents have flocked to shops for food, water, and emergency supplies, and airports have closed on several islands which are popular holiday destinations.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the government was in touch with British overseas territories caught up in Irma, and was doing "everything we can to help those afflicted".

In the US, Florida's Key West area has ordered a mandatory evacuation, with landfall expected at the weekend.

Irma as seen from space at 11:30 GMT on Wednesday

The French government said earlier it was worried about thousands of people who had refused to seek shelter on the islands.

Officials in the French territory of Guadeloupe confirmed the following damage:

In the Dutch territory, known as Sint-Maarten, the airport has been closed with photos showing debris strewn across the departures area and outside.

There has been a total power blackout, streets are littered with debris, cars are underwater and boats in the ports have been destroyed, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported (in Dutch).

France's interior minister said three emergency teams were being sent to the islands, two from France and one from Guadeloupe.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alison Strand told the BBC about the "dangerous conditions" in Anguilla

Confirming the two fatalities in St Martin and St Barts, French Overseas Affairs Minister Annick Girardin said: "Obviously the situation can change very quickly."

The hurricane had caused major flooding in low-lying areas, and authorities had yet to gain access to the worst-hit areas, she added.

Some 40,000 people live in the French part of St Martin, with around the same number estimated to live on the Dutch side. About 9,000 people live on St Barts.

Some islands in the region are almost at sea level and any significant storm surges would be potentially deadly, the BBC's Will Grant reports from Havana.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced the huge destruction on Barbuda, population 1,600, in a satellite phone call to local broadcaster ABS TV and radio.

However, Antigua, population 80,000, escaped major damage, with no loss of life, he said earlier.

US President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, mobilising federal disaster relief efforts.

In Florida's Key West, visitors will be required to leave on Wednesday morning, with residents due to follow in the evening.

"Watching Hurricane closely," Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "My team, which has done, and is doing, such a good job in Texas, is already in Florida. No rest for the weary!"

Parts of Texas and Louisiana are dealing with the damage done by Hurricane Harvey in late August. But it is not yet clear what impact Hurricane Irma might have on the US mainland.

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved roughly $8bn (£6.1bn) in initial emergency aid for states affected by Harvey. The measure will now go to the Senate.

A third storm further out in the Atlantic behind Irma swelled to category one hurricane strength on Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Center confirmed. Hurricane Jose has a maximum sustained wind speed of 75km/h.

Seeing multiple storms developing in the same area of the Atlantic in close succession is not uncommon.

Rarer though is the strength of the hurricanes, with Harvey making landfall in the US as a category four.

There have never been two category four storms making landfall on the US mainland during the same season, since records began.

Are you in the region? Are you a holidaymaker unable to get a flight home or a resident who has been preparing for Hurricane Irma? If it is safe for you to do so, share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: