External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said Indian nationals staying in Venezuela, Cuba and Cayman Islands are safe after Hurricane Irma made landfall on Caribbean islands and surrounding areas on Friday. The storm has killed at least 22 people in the eastern Caribbean and left catastrophic destruction in its wake.

“Our missions in Caracas, Havana, Georgetown and Port of Spain have reported that all Indian nationals there are safe,” Swaraj said on Twitter.

On Saturday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that the Indian missions in Venezuela, Netherlands, the United States and France were monitoring the situation following the destruction caused by the storm. “They are in constant touch with the Indian diaspora affected by Irma and with the local government officials to provide all possible assistance,” he had said.

Kumar had tweeted helpline numbers for Indians: Embassy of India, Venezuela (+58 4241951854/4142214721), Netherlands (+31247247247), France (0800000971).

Irma struck the Camaguey Archipelago with 260 kmph winds late on Friday. It hit Cuba as a Category 5 storm – the National Hurricane Center’s most powerful designation.

Irma to hit Florida

With the storm barreling towards the United States, officials ordered a historic evacuation in Florida that has been made more difficult by clogged highways, gasoline shortages and the challenge of moving older people.

Florida’s Governor Rick Scott on Saturday declared a state of emergency in the state. Over 70,000 residents were provided refuge in nearly 400 shelters. Around 30,000 soldiers, 4,000 trucks, a 100 helicopters and air evacuation were deployed to rescue stranded people after the storm, AFP reported.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday gathered his Cabinet at Camp David to discuss the preparations for Hurricane Irma. “It’s a storm of enormous destructive power and I ask everyone in the storm path to heed all instructions and get out of its way,” Trump said, according to Sky News. “Property is replaceable but lives are not, and safety has to come first.”

“Do not put yourself or your family’s life at risk, now is the time to do the right thing for your family,” Scott said.