Hurricane Irma has pounded Cuba's northern coast and is now barrelling towards Florida as authorities scramble to complete an unprecedented evacuation of millions of residents before the storm engulfs the US state.
The outer band of Irma, which has killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean, was already lashing South Florida with tropical storm-force winds and left nearly 25,000 people without power, Governor Rick Scott said.
The brunt of the hurricane, one of the fiercest Atlantic storms in a century, is due to arrive in Florida early on Sunday.
Irma could inflict major damage on the fourth-largest US state by population, which is braced for winds well in excess of 160km/h and a huge storm surge that could trigger coastal flooding.
"This is a deadly storm and our state has never seen anything like it," Mr Scott said at a Saturday morning news conference.
