Irma downgraded to Category 4 hurricane ahead of landfall in South Florida

Irma, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever on record, has been downgraded to category 4 ahead of its anticipated landfall in Florida on Sunday, but not before wreaking havoc on several British territories and the wider Caribbean, leaving at least 14 people dead in its wake.

According to reports, roughly half a million residents in South Florida had been ordered to leave ahead of its arrival, with the National Hurricane Center warning that it remained "extremely dangerous", with maximum sustained winds of 150mph as of 1330 BST.

Compounding matters, the latest projections indicated it might hit heavily-populated Miami.

On Wednesday, the hurricane slammed into the British territory of Turks and Caicos island, having previously left a swathe of devastation across the Caribbean, including on Anguilla and Tortola, although the damage on Montserrat was not as bad as had at first been feared.

Sir Alan Duncan, the British Foreign Minister, said British overseas territory Anguilla received the hurricane's "full blast" while the British Virgin Islands would need "extensive humanitarian assistance".

In reaction, Westminster increased the relief fund for the overseas territories damaged by the hurricane to £32m.

However, according to the BBC Josephine Gumbs-Conner labelled the UK's preparations ahead of Hurricane Harvey and response to it "sorely lacking".

Baroness Amos echoed her criticism, saying the UK had not responded quickly enough.