Irma's US death toll rises to 10 as hurricane tears down homes in South Carolina

Hurricane Irma's death toll in the US has risen to 10 as the huge storm continues to wreak destruction across the southern states.

A flash flood emergency was issued for Charleston, South Carolina, late on Monday (11 September), as the hurricane tore down houses and cut off power supplies.

10 people have been killed in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. In total, at least 39 people have lost their lives in the hurricane.

In Florida, more than six million homes were left without power as the hurricane landed in Florida Keys, battering the islands with winds of 130mph. Irma hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday (10 September), but it has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Officials said that most of Florida Keys remains without power, fuel or electricity and that all three of the islands' hospitals are closed. Residents on the islands were told to evacuate before the storm struck, but not everyone followed the orders.

"Unfortunately, you start to hear stories of folks that stayed in houses that shouldn't. We're hearing of folks that stayed in boats," Roman Gastesi, the administrator of the Keys, told ABC News.

Late on Monday, Irma was about 95 miles south of Atlanta and President Donald Trump issued a state of emergency after speaking to Governor Kay Ivey.

Trump described Irma as a "big monster" over the weekend and called on everyone "in the storm path to heed all instructions, get out of its way."

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