State of emergency declared in Florida and Puerto Rico as Irma approaches

Hurricane Irma has been raised to a category five storm as states of emergency were declared in Florida and Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

Irma is due to batter areas of the Caribbean this week, with winds of up to 215km per hour registered on Monday and stronger expected as the week wears on.

Southern parts of the US were hit with another massive hurricane last week as Harvey ripped through Texas, with the state’s governor warning the disaster's cleanup bill could be as high as $180bn.

Florida governor Rick Scott told those in its 67 counties to prepare the worst as the latest storm hits, affecting businesses and households statewide.

"In Florida, we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and while the exact path of Irma is not absolutely known at this time, we cannot afford to not be prepared," Scott said.

"This state of emergency allows our emergency management officials to act swiftly in the best interest of Floridians without the burden of bureaucracy or red tape."

Puerto Rico is expected to be particularly affected when Irma arrives, with some experts predicting months of power outages in the US territory.

Schools and many public institutions will be closed this week as the region attempts to minimise the damage caused by Irma.