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121-510: Princess Juliana International Airport ( IATA : SXM , ICAO : TNCM ) is the main airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin . The airport is located on the Dutch side of the island, in the country of Sint Maarten , close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon . In 2015, the airport handled 1,829,543 passengers and around 60,000 aircraft movements. The airport serves as a hub for Winair and

242-409: A Boeing 747 . The new direct route would use an Airbus A330 . This change ended the airport's last regularly scheduled Boeing 747 service. The 747 made its last appearance at the airport on 28 October 2016. Maho Beach was almost completely covered with tourists and plane-spotters who came to witness the last landing and departure of the aircraft. In September 2017, the 747 did make a brief comeback in

363-676: A Cayo Guillermo resort were evacuated by helicopter. The NHC issued several watches and warnings for the Southeastern United States . The first watches and warnings were issued at 15:00 UTC on September 7, which was a hurricane watch from the Jupiter Inlet to Bonita Beach , including the Florida Keys and Lake Okeechobee . The watches and warnings were extended into Georgia and South Carolina on September 9. At 21:00 UTC on that day,

484-548: A fixed-base operator building, offering office space and private lounges with dedicated customs. Since official opening of the new control tower, PJIA air traffic controllers have two radar systems at their disposal with ranges of 50 nautical miles (93 km) and 250 nautical miles (460 km). PJIA controllers manage 4,000 square NM of airspace known as the Juliana TCA around the airport, roughly between 25 nautical miles (46 km) and 42 nautical miles (78 km) of

605-537: A tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands on August 30. Favorable conditions allowed Irma to rapidly intensify into a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson wind scale by late on August 31. The storm's intensity fluctuated between Categories 2 and 3 for the next several days, due to a series of eyewall replacement cycles . On September 4, Irma resumed intensifying, becoming

726-773: A Category 4 hurricane at 06:00 UTC on September 10, as deep convection improved and the eye became better defined. The cyclone made landfall in Cudjoe Key, Florida , at 13:00 UTC on September 10, at Category 4 intensity, with winds of 130 mph (210 km/h). Increasing wind shear and land interaction caused the satellite appearance of the storm to become ragged later that day, and Irma weakened to Category 3 intensity before making its seventh and final landfall at 19:30 UTC, in Marco Island, Florida , with sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Once Irma had moved inland, it began to accelerate to

847-673: A Category 4 hurricane, but the storm re-attained Category 5 status before making landfall in Cuba . Although Irma briefly weakened to a Category 2 storm while making landfall on Cuba, the system re-intensified to Category 4 status as it crossed the warm waters of the Straits of Florida , before making landfall on Cudjoe Key on September 10. Irma then weakened to Category 3 status, prior to another landfall in Florida on Marco Island later that day. The system degraded into

968-433: A Category 5 hurricane by early on the next day. Early on September 6, Irma peaked with 1-minute sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 914 hPa (27.0 inHg). Irma was the second-most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017 in terms of barometric pressure, and the strongest worldwide in 2017 in terms of wind speed. Another eyewall replacement cycle caused Irma to weaken back to

1089-619: A combined €1.2 billion (US$ 1.43 billion) in insured losses across the French territories of Saint-Martin and Saint Barts. This total covered private property such as homes, vehicles and businesses (including lost revenue); the extent of the damage to infrastructural and public facilities remains undetermined. Nonetheless, this made Irma one of the costliest natural disasters to hit the French Republic in 50 years. On January 30, 2018, roughly five months after Irma, an analysis

1210-516: A direct hit, more than half of the residents on Barbuda took shelter, and relief supplies were preemptively mobilized. The National Emergency Management Organization on Saint Lucia urged small craft operators and swimmers to be mindful of forecasts for high surf. Small Craft Warnings and High Surf Advisories were hoisted for Dominica , where residents were urged to remain vigilant of the potential for high waves, landslides, and flooding. In Guadeloupe, low-lying and cliff-edge homes were evacuated at

1331-409: A few hours on September 9. It was the first time that the shoulder-use plan, which was introduced at the start of the 2017 hurricane season, was implemented by the state for hurricane evacuations. The shoulder-use plan was implemented in place of labor- and resource-intensive contraflow lane reversal , in which both sides of an interstate highway are used for one direction of traffic. Officials from

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1452-446: A gas station. Satellite images revealed many of the island's residential zones had been left in ruins. The hurricane passed over Necker Island , also causing severe damage and destroying the mansion of Richard Branson . Most homes and businesses were destroyed on the island of Jost Van Dyke , the smallest of the B.V.I.'s four main islands. The Governor , Gus Jaspert , who had only been sworn into office 13 days previously, declared

1573-567: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

1694-402: A number of houses. In The Valley , the island's capital, the hurricane blew out the windows of government buildings. Rough seas inflicted heavy damage upon several bays and harbors, and a seaside restaurant was completely eradicated. About 90% of roads were left impassable. The island's air traffic control tower was damaged, exacerbating the already poor communication with the island. One death

1815-485: A peak sustained wind speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) at a weather station along San Juan Bay , while the same site observed a peak wind gust of 74 mph (119 km/h). However, on the island of Culebra , a wind gust of 111 mph (179 km/h) was reported. Mainly due to strong winds, approximately 1.1 million out of 1.5 million of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority 's customers lost electricity. Portions of Puerto Rico received heavy rainfall, with

1936-503: A peak total of 13.04 in (331 mm) in Bayamón , causing seven rivers to reach flood stage, widespread flash flooding, and at least six landslides. The most severely affected areas included the offshore islands of Culebra and Vieques , as well as the northeastern, northern, and mountainous portions of the main island. On Culebra, the island suffered an almost complete loss of electrical and water services. At least 30 homes on

2057-709: A remnant low over Alabama and ultimately dissipated on September 13 over Missouri . The storm caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda , Saint Barthélemy , Saint Martin , Anguilla , and the Virgin Islands as a Category 5 hurricane. The hurricane caused at least 134 deaths: one in Anguilla ; one in Barbados ; three in Barbuda ; four in the British Virgin Islands ; 10 in Cuba ; 11 in

2178-546: A state of emergency - the first time this has ever happened in the Territory. After the storm, restoration of electricity took approximately 5 months. Irma's effects in the U.S. Virgin Islands were most profound on Saint Thomas , where at least 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell, and on Saint John . Saint Thomas island suffered widespread structural damage, including to its police station and airport. Patients from

2299-404: A state of emergency initially for all six coastal counties on September 6, but eventually expanded the declaration to 94 counties south of Atlanta metropolitan area , and then the entire state on September 10. Atlanta was placed under its first-ever tropical storm warning. Governor Deal ordered mandatory evacuations for all areas east of Interstate 95 on September 7, before extending

2420-468: A state of emergency on September 6, with South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster following suit the same day. Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency on September 8 in order to protect Virginia residents and to mobilize resources in support of neighboring states. Officials in New Orleans stated that there would not be much time for preparations if Irma failed to make

2541-405: A water supply network on that island lost power during the storm, leaving several communes in the dark without running water. Overall damage was limited to external parts of houses and trees that were blown onto roads and three unmanned ships wrecked by rough seas. Saint Kitts and Nevis endured similar conditions to other islands. Blustery rainstorms triggered scattered power outages and disabled

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2662-509: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

2783-617: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

2904-523: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

3025-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

3146-543: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

3267-514: Is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands , including Anguilla , Saba , Saint Barthélemy and Sint Eustatius . It is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands , who landed there while she was heir presumptive in 1944, the year after the airport opened. The airport has very low-altitude flyover landing approaches because one end of its runway is extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach . While Princess Juliana International

3388-500: Is the primary aviation gateway to the island, there is also a smaller public-use airport on the French side, in the French Collectivity of Saint Martin , called Grand Case-Espérance Airport . The airport began as a US military airstrip in 1942 during World War II. The following year, the first commercial flight landed on 3 December 1943. The future Queen Juliana visited the island using the airport in 1944. Eventually,

3509-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

3630-673: The Alcorn State Braves was moved up a day and relocated to Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama . The Georgia Southern Eagles game against the New Hampshire Wildcats on September 9 was also moved to Legion Field for that day. As of September 5, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding was running dangerously low, due to its response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas the previous week, prompting

3751-523: The British Virgin Islands . Irma maintained Category 5 strength for several days as it passed north of the Greater Antilles . After beginning an eyewall replacement cycle , Irma weakened to a Category 4 hurricane as it passed south of the Turks and Caicos Islands early on September 8, subsequently ending the 60-hour contiguous period of Irma maintaining Category 5 intensity,

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3872-571: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

3993-684: The Dajabón River connecting the two countries was broken. In the Dominican Republic, the fishing community of Nagua sustained damage from waves that destroyed homes. 55,000 soldiers were deployed to affected areas to help with the cleanup efforts. By the evening of September 7, the government had counted 2,721 damaged homes. In Haiti, flooding one meter deep sat in residential neighborhoods in places like Cap-Haïtien , Ouanaminthe , and Gonaives . Mudslides, destroyed homes, flooded crops, and infrastructure damage were reported in

4114-525: The Environmental Protection Agency , which had been criticized for its response to Hurricane Harvey , took special measures to inspect and secure hazardous materials, especially at Superfund sites. Direct Relief , a disaster relief organization, coordinated with local health centers and provided resources to help facilities on the front lines of Floridian and Puerto Rican communities. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared

4235-482: The Florida Keys are located, was placed under a mandatory evacuation. Residents in communities near the southern half of Lake Okeechobee were also ordered to leave. Additionally, voluntary evacuation notices were issued for all or parts of Alachua , Baker , Bay , Bradford , Charlotte , Columbia , Desoto , Hardee , Highlands , Hillsborough , Lake , Manatee , Okeechobee , Osceola , and Polk counties. A record 6.5 million Floridians evacuated, making it

4356-488: The Florida Keys . It was also the most intense hurricane to strike the continental United States since Katrina in 2005 , the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in the same year, and the first Category 4 hurricane to strike the state since Charley in 2004 . The word Irmageddon was coined soon after the hurricane to describe the damage caused by the hurricane. Irma developed from

4477-608: The French West Indies ; one in Haiti ; three in Puerto Rico ; four on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten ; 92 in the contiguous United States , and four in the U.S. Virgin Islands . Hurricane Irma was the top Google searched term in the U.S. and globally in 2017. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) began monitoring a tropical wave over western Africa on August 26. Developing into a tropical depression just west of

4598-540: The Trump administration to request an immediate $ 8 billion in additional funding as Irma approached Florida. Given the rate that current funds are being consumed and the catastrophic damage, the United States Senate almost doubled the requested amount to $ 15.3 billion, with the understanding that this would only be about 10% of what will be required for responding to Harvey. Hurricane Irma's path

4719-482: The Turks and Caicos , evacuation orders were issued for low-lying areas starting September 5. Schools were closed, government buildings were boarded up, and shelters were opened. Officials spread warnings to residents in English, Creole, and Spanish via social media, radio, SMS text, and WhatsApp . In The Bahamas , the government began preparations the week prior to the hurricane's arrival, including securing national sports facilities to use as shelters. By September 7,

4840-669: The UCF Knights - Memphis Tigers game scheduled for September 9 was moved to September 30, replacing UCF's game against Maine and Memphis game against Georgia State . UCF also canceled their game against Georgia Tech on September 16, as UCF's stadium hosted the National Guard. The USF Bulls - Connecticut Huskies football game was also canceled. The Miami Hurricanes – Arkansas State Redwolves game scheduled for September 9 at Centennial Bank Stadium in Arkansas

4961-647: The Cape Verde Islands early on August 31, becoming Tropical Storm Irma shortly afterwards. Under favorable conditions, Irma underwent rapid intensification , becoming a major hurricane on September 1. Within a 48-hour period, the hurricane's intensity had increased by 65 mph (105 km/h). Fluctuations occurred over the next few days due to internal processes, as The first aircraft reconnaissance mission discovered an eye 29 mi (47 km) in diameter and surface winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) on September 3. As Irma continued approaching

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5082-519: The Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM), a Germany-based risk management agency, estimate that economic losses for Antigua and Barbuda will exceed $ 120 million. On the morning of September 6, Irma's center crossed the island of Saint Martin while the storm was at peak intensity, sweeping away entire structures, submerging roads and cars, and triggering an island-wide blackout. Irma's extreme winds ripped trees out of

5203-536: The French island of Saint Barthélemy , southeast of Saint Martin. Describing the extent of the destruction, one local compared it to "a bomb that burned all vegetation," while another said that it were as if the hurricane had effectively "erased the island from the map". Violent seas swept away entire coastal establishments, with one hotel being stripped of all but its foundation. Streets in the capital of Gustavia were turned into rushing rivers, which carried away vehicles and pieces of furniture. The island's fire station

5324-566: The Leeward Islands, the hurricane underwent a second and more robust period of rapid intensification, becoming a Category 5 hurricane early on September 5. The extremely powerful hurricane continued to intensify, with maximum sustained winds peaking at 180 mph (290 km/h) shortly afterwards. Irma acquired annular characteristics around this time, with the storm exhibiting a large, symmetric CDO and an impressive satellite appearance. Irma continued to intensify while approaching

5445-652: The St Maarten VOR-DME. Besides providing approach, tower and ground control at PJIA, these controllers also provide approach control for Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport ( Anguilla ), L'Espérance Airport ( French Saint Martin ), Gustaf III Airport ( St. Barths ), F.D. Roosevelt Airport ( St. Eustatius ) and Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport ( Saba ). PJIA is equipped with VOR / DME and NDB . The airport's official operating hours are 07:00–21:00. The following airlines provide daily or weekly service to

5566-713: The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had deployed response teams in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands . Supplies, including food rations, medical supplies, and blankets, were pre-staged in strategic locations on the islands for distribution. On September 5, the Dominican Republic activated the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters , thus providing for humanitarian satellite coverage;

5687-474: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Hurricane Irma Effects Other wikis Hurricane Irma

5808-422: The United States and Haiti followed suit two days later. According to officials, 11,200 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas prior to the storm's arrival. Approximately 7,400 tourists were moved to Santo Domingo , away from beach resorts. In Haiti , government officials and aid organizations struggled with early preparation and evacuation efforts. While some officials blamed reluctance and indifference on

5929-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

6050-593: The advisories reached their maximum extent, with a hurricane warning covering the entire east coast of the state, the west coast from Indian Pass southward, and the Florida Keys; a hurricane watch was in place from the Florida–;Georgia state line to Edisto Beach, South Carolina ; and there were two tropical storm warnings, one in Florida from Indian Pass to the Okaloosa – Walton county line and

6171-414: The aftermath of Hurricane Irma, operating some relief flights. At the same time KLM announced the return of the triangle route via Curaçao, this time however operated by an Airbus A330. In September 2018, KLM officials confirmed that they hoped to resume direct flights between Amsterdam and St. Maarten by November 2019. On 6 September 2017, the airport suffered significant damage when Hurricane Irma struck

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6292-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

6413-420: The airport was named after her. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, with a new terminal building and control tower . The facilities were upgraded in 1985 and 2001. Because of increased passenger traffic and the expected growth of passenger traffic in the near future, Princess Juliana International Airport is being heavily modernized following a three-phased masterplan, commissioned in 1997. Phase I

6534-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

6655-445: The approximately 24,000 restoration personnel who had been activated. Governor Scott suspended tolls on all toll roads in Florida, including the turnpike . All state offices in Florida were closed from September 8 to September 11, while public schools, state colleges, and state universities in all 67  counties were closed during the same period. The Florida Department of Education coordinated with school districts as

6776-484: The beach. The main apron measures 72,500 square metres (780,000 sq ft) with another 5,000 square metres (54,000 sq ft) on Eastern apron. For freight handling a dedicated apron of 7,000 square metres (75,000 sq ft) is available. Designed to handle some 2.5 million passengers annually, the new four-story terminal building offered (at least until the arrival of Hurricane Irma ) 30,500 square metres (328,000 sq ft) of floor space and

6897-585: The building [strewn] across the runway and a jet bridge snapped in half." It demolished or severely damaged about 70% of Sint Maarten's houses, forcing thousands of residents into public shelters. There were 4 deaths and 23 injuries, 11 of which were serious, in the Dutch territory. Irma is considered the worst natural disaster to hit Sint Maarten; the extent of its damage far exceeded that of any previous hurricane. Total damages were estimated at €2.5 billion (US$ 2.98 billion). Irma left widespread destruction and disastrous flooding along its path over

7018-502: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

7139-446: The construction of a new and more modern, 27,000 square metres (290,000 sq ft), terminal, capable of handling 2.5 million passengers per year, and the construction of a Runway End Safety Area (RESA) of 150 metres (490 ft), including a 60 metres (200 ft) overrun, on both ends of its runway, to comply with ICAO rules. The new air traffic control tower and the radar station commenced operations on 29 March 2004, while

7260-422: The core of the hurricane was expected to remain north of the island, a yellow alert was issued for Martinique due to the likelihood of rough seas. The island dispatched relief supplies and military reinforcements to its neighboring islands of Guadeloupe, Saint Martin. and Saint Barthélemy, which faced a greater risk of a direct impact. On September 4, Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency. By September 6,

7381-934: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

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7502-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

7623-759: The following destinations: IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

7744-478: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

7865-597: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

7986-431: The fourth and third floors of Charlotte Amalie 's hospital had to be relocated to lower floors due to flooding from roof leaks. Three deaths were attributed to Irma on the island. On nearby Saint Croix , there were communication issues and some damage to the infrastructure. Saint John lost access to ferry and cargo services, along with access to the local airport. Due to its normal reliance on electricity from Saint Thomas,

8107-531: The government had evacuated 1,609 people by air from the southern islands, including 365 from Bimini . Controlled cutting of the power supply to southern and central Bahamian islands was conducted in advance of the storm. Shelters were made available, though usage was low due to most evacuees staying with family on other islands. Of the 2,679 foreign tourists still in The Bahamas on September 7, about 1,200 were being housed at Atlantis Paradise Island , one of

8228-521: The ground and sent vehicles and debris from damaged structures scattered across the territory. On the French side of Saint-Martin , entire marinas around Marigot were left in ruins, littered with the stranded remnants of boats that had smashed into each other. A hotel caught on fire, but dangerous conditions and impassable roads prevented firefighters from putting out the blaze. Another hotel lost nearly all of its ground floor. Media images depicted devastated room interiors with furniture hurled around after

8349-430: The hurricane also defoliated trees and injured a few people. CEDIM's analysts expect economic losses of $ 20–65 million for the two islands. Damage in the British Virgin Islands was extensive. Numerous buildings and roads were destroyed on the island of Tortola , which bore the brunt of the hurricane's core. Four people were confirmed dead. Along Cane Garden Bay, the storm surge submerged several seaside bars and

8470-474: The hurricane moved over Barbuda near its record peak intensity early on September 6; a weather station observed a wind gust of 160 mph (260 km/h). The same station also recorded a minimum barometric pressure of 916.1 mbar (27.05 inHg). The exact state of the island remained unclear for hours after Irma's passage, as downed phone lines ceased all communication with nearby islands. Later that afternoon, Prime Minister Gaston Browne surveyed

8591-467: The hurricane then made landfall in Cayo Romano, Cuba , at 03:00 UTC on September 9, with winds of 165 mph (266 km/h). This made Irma only the second Category 5 hurricane to strike Cuba in recorded history, after the 1924 Cuba hurricane . As the eye of Irma moved along the northern coast of Cuba, gradual weakening ensued due to land interaction, with the eye becoming cloud-filled and

8712-467: The intensity falling to a high-end Category 2 storm later on September 9. After slowing down late on September 9, the hurricane turned northwestward towards Florida around the southwestern edge of the subtropical high to its northeast and a low-pressure system that was located over the continental United States . Moving over the warm waters of the Straits of Florida, Irma quickly restrengthened to

8833-487: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

8954-420: The island as a Category 5 hurricane. Video from a Dutch military helicopter showed the roof had been blown off the terminal, the jetways were damaged, and there was a significant amount of sand (blown through the fences from Simpson Bay Beach) and flooding on the runway. The airport reopened on 10 October 2017 using temporary facilities while repair work commenced. Pavilions were in use during reconstruction of

9075-403: The island was left without power. Total damage from the three islands was at least $ 1.1 billion. The hurricane passed north of Puerto Rico , but still caused significant damage to the United States territory. Along the coast, a tide gauge observed waves up to 1.5 ft (0.46 m) mean higher high water . Much of the main island experienced sustained tropical storm force winds, with

9196-881: The island were destroyed, while about 30 other experienced substantial damage. High winds also toppled a number of trees. The only telecommunications tower on Culebra sustained damage, cutting off outside communications for several hours. In rural Loíza , 79 homes were destroyed. Throughout Puerto Rico, 781 out of 1,600 telecommunications towers went out of commission, primarily due to power outages. At least 362,000 customers lost water services. Debris, mostly fallen trees, blocked at least 72 roads. Approximately 25% to 30% of banana, coffee, papaya, and plantain crops were damaged by strong winds, with losses to farmers estimated at $ 30.6 million. Approximately 1,530 homes experienced at least moderate damage, with 1,448 homes moderately damaged, 32 extensively damaged, and 50 completely destroyed. Hurricane Irma

9317-553: The island's water system, but per the International Red Cross , the islands were spared the level of destruction seen elsewhere. Still, Prime Minister Timothy Harris stated that property and infrastructure had sustained "significant damage." The Dutch territories of Saba and Sint Eustatius were also struck by the hurricane's winds, resulting in infrastructural damage, water shortages and telecommunication outages. Several houses were left uninhabitable. On Saba,

9438-399: The island. In addition to the catastrophic impact on Barbuda's human residents, concern turned to the storm's effects on the island's wildlife. The island's only endemic bird, the near-threatened Barbuda warbler , numbered less than 2,000 individuals prior to the hurricane. For some time it was unknown if the warbler survived the hurricane or its aftermath; however within a few months it

9559-539: The island. After some delay, the treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands, and subsequently entered into force on 1 August 2007. Implementation has been delayed for several years by the government of Sint Maarten. In July 2016, KLM announced that, starting in October, it would serve the airport with direct flights from Amsterdam instead of the triangle route via Curaçao . The previous triangle route used

9680-452: The largest evacuation in the state's history. Evacuees caused significant traffic congestion on northbound Interstate 95 , Interstate 75 , and Florida's Turnpike, exacerbated by the fact that the entire Florida peninsula was within the cone of uncertainty in the NHC's forecast path in the days before the storm, so evacuees from both coasts headed north, as evacuees would not be safer by fleeing to

9801-423: The last section of the final approach for Runway 10, following a 3° glide slope flying low over the famous Maho Beach . The proximity of Maho Beach to the runway has made the airport one of the world's favorite places among planespotters despite the dangers. In 2017 a New Zealand woman died from injuries sustained by jet blast from a departing aircraft. Tourists have been often criticised for dangerous behavior on

9922-460: The main terminal. In December 2018, temporary arrival and departure facilities opened within the first level of the terminal building. The entire upper floor of the terminal and the four jet-bridges were out of commission until November 2023. The reconstructed check-in area opened in January 2024. As of March 2024, arrivals are being handled by a temporary arrival facility that was constructed next to

10043-542: The most hurricane-ready structures in the country. In Cuba , meteorologists did not initially predict a direct hit. Fuel conservation was enacted in Camagüey Province to ensure that enough would be available during post-storm power outages. The Civil Defense evacuated nearly one million people from low-lying areas, including thousands of Canadian and European tourists in the Jardines del Rey . Dolphins at

10164-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

10285-552: The need for transportation by school buses and opening shelters arose. By September 9, more than 150 state parks were closed. Throughout the state, almost 700 emergency shelters were opened. The shelters collectively housed about 191,764 people, with more than 40% of them staying in a shelter in South Florida. Additionally, more than 60 special needs shelters were opened, which housed more than 5,000 people by September 9. Many airports across

10406-685: The new terminal opened in late October 2006. The terminal has 4 jetways for large aircraft like 747s. If traffic develops as forecast, Phase III of the masterplan will be executed, consisting of an extension of the new terminal building and the construction of a full parallel taxiway system. In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls , which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called "risk flights", requiring arriving passengers to have valid travel papers for both sides of

10527-492: The north-northwest, while rapid weakening began to occur due to the increasing wind shear, land interaction, and dry air, with the storm falling below Category 3 intensity hours after landfall. Irma finally weakened to a tropical storm on September 11 as it entered southern Georgia , while transitioning into an extratropical cyclone, degenerating into a remnant low early on September 12. The remnants dissipated over Missouri on September 13. Given that Irma's forecast track

10648-710: The northern Leeward Islands . At 05:45 UTC on September 6, Irma made landfall along the northern coast of Barbuda at peak intensity, with the storm's central minimum pressure having bottomed out at 914 mbar (27.0 inHg) – this was the lowest in the Atlantic since Dean in 2007; the storm also made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). Irma continued to maintain its peak intensity until 12:00 UTC on September 6 and made additional successive landfalls on that same day, at 11:15 UTC on Sint Maarten , and at 16:30 UTC on Virgin Gorda , in

10769-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

10890-643: The opposite coast. Fuel was in short supply throughout peninsular Florida during the week before Irma's arrival, especially along evacuation routes, leading to hours-long lines at fuel stations and even escorts of fuel trucks by the Florida Highway Patrol . Use of the left shoulder as a lane for moving traffic was allowed on northbound Interstate 75 from Wildwood to the Georgia state line beginning September 8 and on eastbound Interstate 4 from Tampa to State Road 429 near Celebration for

11011-597: The order to the entirety of Chatham County and low-lying areas west of I-95 on the following day. In total, 540,000 people on the Georgia coast were ordered to leave. Contraflow lane reversal for Interstate 16 took effect on the morning of September 9 from Savannah to Dublin, Georgia . All Georgia state parks were open for free to evacuees, as was the 800-acre camping area at Atlanta Motor Speedway . Reversible HOT lanes on Interstate 75 in Georgia through south metro Atlanta were open 24 hours northbound with no tolls. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared

11132-932: The other from the Florida–Georgia state line to the South Santee River in South Carolina. Watches and warnings were gradually discontinued as Irma moved inland and weakened, with all of them canceled by early on September 12. On September 4, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency. Governor Scott placed 100 members of the Florida National Guard on duty to assist in preparations. All 7,000 troops were ordered to be on duty by September 8. Officials advised residents to stock their hurricane kits. The state coordinated with electrical companies in order for power outages to be restored as quickly as possible, extending resources such as equipment, fuel, and lodging for

11253-454: The part of the population, others "admitted they were not prepared for the onslaught and no mandatory evacuation orders were in place ahead of Irma's approach." Local officials contended that they had not received promised funds, supplies, or equipment from the national government. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti prepared its 1,000 peacekeepers and engineers to assist. In

11374-399: The permanent terminal building. The airport has a single runway numbered 10/28, measuring 7,546 ft x 148 ft (2,300 m x 45 m). It was renumbered from 09/27 in late 2008. Pilots guided by GNSS take a more efficient approach than those operating under VFR . Local airport rules prohibit aircraft from flying lower than 500 feet (150 m) Arriving aircraft approach the island on

11495-461: The projected northward turn, but that South Texas or Florida would not be a good evacuation destination. On September 10, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam issued an executive order allowing medical professionals in other states to practice in Tennessee to aid Hurricane Irma evacuees. This order also allowed pharmacies to give out 14-day supplies of medicine, and gave women and children from outside

11616-506: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

11737-517: The same lightning strike, but survived. Two other people died during the hurricane: a woman died while being evacuated from her house in a wheelchair and fell, hitting her head; another person died in a car accident in Canóvanas . Governor Ricardo Rosselló declared the islands of Culebra and Vieques to be disaster areas. Although spared a direct hit, both the Dominican Republic and Haiti were affected by high winds and heavy rains. A bridge over

11858-423: The second-longest any Atlantic storm had maintained winds above 156 mph (251 km/h) – behind only the 1932 Cuba hurricane . The hurricane then began tracking more to the west due to the intensification of a subtropical ridge to its north. Once the eyewall replacement cycle was complete, Irma began to re-intensify, and it re-attained Category 5 intensity at 18:00 UTC that day east of Cuba , before

11979-591: The state the ability to participate in the Tennessee Department of Health programs. Bristol Motor Speedway , Talladega Superspeedway , and Charlotte Motor Speedway all opened their campgrounds to evacuees free of charge. In professional sports, the Miami Dolphins – Tampa Bay Buccaneers game scheduled for September 10 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami was postponed to November 19 due to

12100-778: The state, particularly in Central and South Florida , were closed. Nearly 9,000 flights intending to arrive in or depart from Florida were canceled. Along Florida's coasts, most seaports were closed or opened with restricted access. For the fifth time in its 45-year history, the Walt Disney World Resort was completely closed due to the storm. Its theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs were all closed by 9:00 p.m. on September 9 and remained closed until September 12. Other Orlando -area theme parks, including Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando , were also closed. The Kennedy Space Center

12221-500: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

12342-693: The storm's threat. The Dolphins left early for their road game against the Los Angeles Chargers . The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees moved their September 11–13 series from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to Citi Field in Queens . Minor League Baseball 's Florida State League , Carolina League , and Southern League called off their championship finals and as a result, named their division series winners league co-champions. The Miami FC versus San Francisco Deltas match on September 10

12463-582: The territory by helicopter, revealing an effectively uninhabitable island. Irma damaged or destroyed 95% of the structures on Barbuda, including its hospital, schools, and both of its hotels; it completely flattened some residential blocks while submerging others. The destruction rendered the island's sole airport and much of its infrastructure inoperative—including water and telecommunication services—which further hampered relief efforts. Property damage on Barbuda ranged from $ 150 million to $ 300 million. A total of three storm-related deaths were reported on

12584-444: The threat of flooding and erosion. Schools and public businesses closed on September 5 and 6. Hospitals stocked up on three days' worth of supplies and checked the functionality of their generators. Of the island's 32 communes , 22 activated their emergency plans; 1,500 people were urged to take shelter. The island sustained relatively minor damage and became the base for relief efforts on Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy . Though

12705-515: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

12826-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

12947-747: The winds had shattered their windows. Irma killed four people on the French side of the island and injured 50 others, one of whom was in critical condition. As many as 95% of the buildings there were damaged to some degree; 60% of those were totally uninhabitable. Estimates from CEDIM indicate a minimum of $ 950 million worth of economic losses. Total losses exceeded €3.5 billion (US$ 4.17 billion). A similar situation unfolded in Sint Maarten , Saint Martin's Dutch half, as intense winds ripped through buildings and lifted vehicles aloft "as if they were matches". The hurricane wreaked havoc on Princess Juliana International Airport , with "huge chunks of

13068-418: Was a short-term program to upgrade existing facilities and improve the level of service at various points. This included widening, strengthening and renovating the runway, increasing the bearing capacity of the taxiways, construction of a new apron and an upgrade of the (old) terminal. Phase I was completed in 2001. Phase II included the construction of a radar facility and a new air traffic control tower ,

13189-418: Was along much of the Caribbean island chain, hurricane warnings were issued for the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and parts of Hispaniola on September 5. In Antigua and Barbuda , residents safeguarded their homes and cleaned up their properties in anticipation of strong winds. Emergency crews were put on standby at public shelters and hospitals by September 5 to assist with any evacuations. Expecting

13310-424: Was also the third-strongest Atlantic hurricane at landfall ever recorded, just behind the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Dorian. The ninth named storm , fourth hurricane , second major hurricane , and first Category 5 hurricane of the extremely active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season , Irma caused widespread and catastrophic damage throughout its long lifetime, particularly in the northeastern Caribbean and

13431-529: Was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered the most powerful hurricane on record in the open Atlantic region, outside of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico , until it was surpassed by Hurricane Dorian two years later. It

13552-534: Was attributed to around $ 1 billion in damage, and the NHC attributed three fatalities to Irma in Puerto Rico, though four deaths were related to the storm. Two people died due to rainstorms ahead of the hurricane: one man died in Orocovis after falling off his ladder while repairing his roof; another man on the coast in Capitanejo died after being struck by lightning. Three nearby fishermen were burned by

13673-750: Was canceled due to travel concerns for the University of Miami. The Florida Gators - Northern Colorado Bears match in Gainesville scheduled for September 9 was canceled. The Florida State Seminoles contest against the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks was canceled on September 8. The Seminoles' rivalry game with the Hurricanes in Tallahassee, originally scheduled for September 16, was postponed tp October 7. The FIU Panthers game against

13794-576: Was canceled so the players and staff could prepare for the storm with their families. The Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League rescheduled their September 9 match to September 7. Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer did not have any scheduled home games in September, but was unable to return to training facilities in Orlando due to Hurricane Irma. In college football,

13915-604: Was closed from September 8 to September 15. An estimated 6.5 million Floridians were ordered to evacuate, mostly those living on barrier islands or in coastal areas; in mobile or sub-standard homes; and in low-lying or flood prone areas. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for portions of Brevard , Broward , Citrus , Collier , Dixie , Duval , Flagler , Glades , Hendry , Hernando , Indian River , Lee , Martin , Miami-Dade , Orange , Palm Beach , Pasco , Pinellas , Sarasota , Seminole , St. Lucie , Sumter , and Volusia counties. All of Monroe County , where

14036-625: Was confirmed that not only did the species survive, but most of the birds survived the storm. Barbuda's Codrington Lagoon , home to the largest colony of magnificent frigatebirds in the Caribbean, with an estimated 2,500 nesting pairs, was also inundated by the storm surge. Remaining just outside of Irma's strongest windfield, Antigua sustained less severe damage, in the form of leveled roofs and fences, downed power poles and lines, and uprooted trees. Some street flooding also took place in low-lying areas. Three people were treated for minor storm-related injuries. Forensic disaster analysts from

14157-461: Was fully air-conditioned. Available facilities included 46 check-in desks, 10 transit desks and 13 boarding gates. There were 20 immigration booths for arriving passengers and five exit-control booths for departing passengers. The building also featured 40 shops and food & beverage units—some unique to St. Maarten—promoted under the retail theme "So Much More". To accommodate the growing international and local traffic of private aircraft, PJIA has

14278-422: Was inundated with up to 6.4 ft (2.0 m) of flood waters. With scores of homes and much of the infrastructure destroyed, the majority of the island's population was left stranded and without water, electricity or phone service. The associated economic losses could exceed $ 480 million according to CEDIM's analysts. Preliminary assessments from the French government indicate that Hurricane Irma caused

14399-511: Was published indicating that an anemometer on the island recorded an unofficial gust to 199 mph (320 km/h) before failing. The British Overseas Territory of Anguilla saw the eyewall of the storm pass over it on September 6. Many homes and schools were destroyed, and the island's only hospital was badly damaged. The devastation was particularly severe in East End , where the winds uprooted scores of trees and power poles and demolished

14520-679: Was reported on the island. Estimates of losses on the island total at least $ 190 million. Large swells ahead of Irma washed ashore debris and sea life in Castries , Saint Lucia, blocking some roads. Seaside roads were inundated with water. One surfer was killed amid rough surf in Barbados after hitting a reef and breaking his neck. Trees were also destroyed. The hurricane's effects, such as violent seas and rattling trees, were intense enough to be detected by seismographs in Guadeloupe . Several houses were damaged. Around 8,000 households and

14641-539: Was such that its impact was both far-reaching and devastating, with landfalls in Antigua and Barbuda , Saint Martin , the Bahamas , Cuba , and the United States, all at major hurricane intensity. Furthermore, the size of the storm system meant that destruction was prevalent even in territories well removed from landfall occurrences. Irma is the second-costliest Caribbean hurricane on record, after Maria. The eyewall of

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