Irma’s US Death Toll Rises; Residents Start to Return to Florida Coast

Irma’s US Death Toll Rises; Residents Start to Return to Florida Coast
Storm damage is seen from the air after hurricane Irma passed Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands on Sept. 11, 2017. Captain George Eatwell RM/Ministry of Defence handout via Reuters
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FLORIDA CITY/MARCO ISLAND, Fla.—Florida allowed some residents to return on Tuesday to areas hammered by Hurricane Irma’s high winds and storm surge, while the death toll rose in the second major hurricane to hit the United States this year.

Irma, which had rampaged through the Caribbean as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, was downgraded to a tropical depression on Monday. It will likely dissipate from Tuesday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.