A ferocious Hurricane Irma left at least 10 dead and thousands homeless on islands across the northern Caribbean as it cut a devastating path that could lead to a catastrophic strike on Florida.

Irma weakened only slightly Thursday morning from its peak, record-setting winds of 185 mph (300 kph) and remained a powerful Category 5 storm with winds of 180 mph (285 kph).

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine had the following to say to people who refused to listen to the mandatory evacuation of the beach: “We have talked to people in your city who say, ‘We ain’t going.'”

“I hate to hear that. I’ll do anything in my power to convince them this is a very serious storm. This is a nuclear hurricane. They should leave the beach, they must leave the beach,” he said.

Miami Beach is a barrier island that runs seven miles long and one mile wide. The tourist mecca averages three feet above sea level. Irma surge exceeds 16 feet.

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WHAT’S AHEAD FOR IRMA?

Irma appears increasingly likely to rip into heavily populated South Florida early Sunday. Gov. Rick Scott has declared an emergency and mandatory evacuation orders are in place for parts of the Miami metro area and the Florida Keys. Parts of South Florida were placed under a hurricane watch Thursday.

Forecasters said Irma could rake the entire Atlantic coast of Florida and rage on into Georgia and South Carolina.

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WHAT HAS IRMA DONE SO FAR?

The storm lashed Puerto Rico with heavy rain and powerful winds late Wednesday, leaving nearly 900,000 people without power. Meanwhile, authorities struggled to get aid to small Caribbean islands already devastated by the historic storm.

Nearly every building on the island of Barbuda was damaged when the eye of the storm passed early Wednesday. That left about 60 percent of the island’s roughly 1,400 people homeless, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told The Associated Press.

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ONE FLIGHT INTO THE STORM

A daring Delta Air Lines crew braved Hurricane Irma’s wind and rain to fly in and out of Puerto Rico to pick up travelers.

The flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 shared a radar image showing the plane heading into San Juan from New York just before noon Wednesday as the swirling storm was set to engulf the island. The plane took off less than an hour later with a new group of passengers for the return trip to New York. Radar images showed it navigating a narrow path between Irma’s outer bands to escape the storm.

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OTHER FLIGHTS BEING CANCELED

Airlines plan to cancel Florida flights that are in Hurricane Irma’s path.

American Airlines says it will begin shutting down operations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Sarasota and West Palm Beach by Friday afternoon and cancel flights through the weekend. JetBlue Airways said Wednesday afternoon that it had canceled about 130 flights.

American, JetBlue, United and Delta offered waivers letting customers change travel plans to Florida and the Caribbean without the usual charges for changing a ticket.

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INSURANCE IMPACT

One of Florida’s biggest home insurers could take a big hit if predictions about Hurricane Irma prove true.

The state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is strong enough to absorb the blow from the monster storm, industry experts say, but all the new claims could punch a hole in its finances, possibly leading to higher premiums in future years.

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FLOOD INSURANCE HAS DROPPED

An Associated Press analysis shows a steep drop in flood insurance across Florida, including the areas most endangered by what could be a devastating storm surge as Hurricane Irma approaches.

In just five years, the state’s total number of federal flood insurance policies has fallen by 15 percent, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency data. Florida’s property owners still buy far more federal flood insurance than any other state, but most residents in hazard zones are badly exposed.

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EVACUATION ORDERS

People in parts of Miami’s metro area are under mandatory orders to leave their homes Thursday as Hurricane Irma barrels toward the region with potentially catastrophic winds.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday strongly urged people to evacuate if asked to do so by local officials. He waived tolls on all Florida highways and told people if they were thinking about leaving to “get out now.” Scott warned that Irma is “bigger, faster and stronger” than Hurricane Andrew, the last Category 5 storm to hit the state.

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RUSH LIMBAUGH’S REMARK

Rush Limbaugh created a storm of his own by suggesting that the “panic” caused by Hurricane Irma benefits retailers, the media and politicians seeking action on climate change.

The conservative radio personality’s swerve into meteorology had Al Roker, the “Today” show weatherman, saying Wednesday that Limbaugh was putting people’s lives at risk.

Limbaugh’s lengthy soliloquy on his radio show the day before was apparently set off by seeing a rush on supplies of bottled water in South Florida, where he lives.

(AP)