British tourists are in the path of the 185mph Hurricane Irma sweeping through the Caribbean, with others having their holiday plans thrown into chaos.
The category five storm lashing the region and heading for the US coast is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic.
Expats on Caribbean islands have barricaded themselves into hotels and holiday homes as authorities order mass evacuations.
British Airways sent an empty aircraft to the region to bring customers back early – the full flight of 326 passengers touched down in the UK on Tuesday evening.
The airline also cancelled a flight from the UK heading to Antigua and then on to Tobago.
The record winds of Hurricane Irma lash the resort of Marigot on the isle of St Martin. Panicked tourists are being flown out of the Caribbean by British Airways
Hotel workers in Marigot fill sand bags as islands go into lockdown as the Hurricane sweeps in
Puerto Rico, which handles a lot of transfer flights to the Caribbean, has declared a state of emergency, as has Florida.
Antigua airport will be closed on Wednesday and San Juan airport, the busiest in Puerto Rico, has cancelled about 40 per cent of its flights in response to the hurricane.
Briton Carolyne Coleby, who runs a guest house on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, said locals were desperately trying to secure their houses with boards and remove any potential debris from outside spaces.
She said: ‘The winds are starting to pick up and the clouds are coming in.
‘We had a sunny morning but the storm’s definitely on its way – it’s going to be spectacularly unpleasant.’
Ms Coleby, who also runs a turtle conservation project, has sheltered her herd of 20 goats in her house to save them from the worst of the storm.
‘People are now just boarding up and clearing their gardens of any potential flying objects,’ she said.
‘I had a sleepless night. I was very worried – I spent the night on the internet. It’s going to be the strongest hurricane ever to cross the Atlantic. I’ve no idea what to expect.’
A representative for BA told MailOnline: ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.
‘We are in contact with travellers in Antigua and have laid on a special flight today to get as many home as possible before the hurricane arrives on the island.
‘The Antigua and St Kitts airport authorities have advised us that their airports will be closed tomorrow. We have offered all customers due to travel to the Caribbean and Florida in the coming days a range of re-booking options and are keeping our flights to the entire region under review.’
Virgin Atlantic also changed its return schedules, and a flight leaving Antigua on Tuesday left five hours early to avoid the storm.
The airline urged all customers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport, and offered all those affected by the storm the option to rebook their flights on alternative dates.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office told Britons to follow the advice of the local authorities and any evacuation orders.
Several UK tourists and citizens living abroad have tweeted about their status in the Caribbean and Florida.
Some said that their holidays had been canceled, while others were stranded on islands and in Florida.
Jessica Thiel, a UK citizen and Florida resident, wrote on Twitter: ‘Talk about peperation…Gainesville is already out of water.’
‘Only we would pick a date to go on holiday when a hurricane is meant to hit,’ another Twitter user wrote.
The Briton was supposed to fly to Cuba through Thomas Cook on Wednesday morning. He said that he is unable to get a refund for the trip.
A woman named Hazel responded saying she was also struggling to get a refund for her trip to Cuba.
Meanwhile, local residents stocked-up on emergency supplies and tried to secure their houses from the oncoming hurricane.
Risk: British Airways was forced to cancel its morning flight from London to Antigua, today, shortly after the hurricane was upgraded to a category five – the most dangerous
Earlier in the day The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma had sustained winds of 175mph and was centered about 270 miles east of Antigua. It was moving west at 14mph.
The center said there was a growing possibility that the storm’s effects would be felt in Florida later this week and over the weekend, though it was still too early to be sure of its future track: ‘Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place.’
Irma’s winds were 185 mph Tuesday, a strong Category 5 storm, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said it could strengthen more as it neared the eastern-most Caribbean islands.
The storm had the most powerful winds ever recorded for a storm in the Atlantic Ocean.
Irma’s center was expected to move near or over the northern Leeward Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the hurricane center said. The eye was then expected to pass about 50 miles from Puerto Rico late Wednesday.
Authorities warned that the storm could dump up to 10 inches of rain, cause landslides and flash floods and generate waves of up to 23 feet.
President Donald Trump declared states of emergency in Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands on Tuesday ahead of potentially devastating Hurricane Irma’s strike.
The move allows federal assistance funds to be deployed so that authorities can better handle emergencies in their areas.
Trump’s declaration ‘authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (and) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts,’ a White House statement read.
‘This action will help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population, and provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures.’