https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ed-one-worlds-most-famous-airports/640943001/
[doublepost=1504801969,1504801605][/doublepost]https://www.bustle.com/p/are-there-...-irma-may-force-major-ones-to-shut-down-81432
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The Princess Juliana Airport on the island of St. Martin was “hit hard, with what appeared to be sand washed up to parts of the main terminal and the building's roof extensively damaged. No aircraft were visible on the tarmac,” The Associated Press reports.
Images of the damage circulated on social media. Severe damage can be seen inside the airport, including check-in counters and terminal areas. Other images appear to show remnants of a jet bridge sitting on the airfield apron.
The airport is famous in aviation circles for its runways that abut one of the island’s white-sand, blue-water Caribbean beaches, allowing enthusiasts and photo-seekers unusually close access to an active runway.
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In anticipation of the hurricane to hit as early as this weekend, Gov. Rick Scott issued a statewide emergency. Depending on the path of the storm, two main Florida nuclear plants may close because of Hurricane Irma.
Peter Robbins, the spokesman for Florida Power & Light’s two nuclear plants told the Miami Herald that shutting down a nuclear reactor is a gradual process. Therefore, if they decide to close down because of the storm, the move won't be a split-second decision. On Wednesday, both the Turkey Point and the St. Lucie plant focused on cleaning the grounds and nailing down staffing plans.
However, as of Thursday morning, a final decision was yet to be made about the two plants closing down for the weekend. They both "If we anticipate there will be direct impacts on either facility we’ll shut down the units," Robbins told reporters.
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The Turkey Point plant survived the Category 4 storm Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, which to date marks one of the strongest hurricanes the country has seen.
Likewise, the St. Lucie nuclear plant survived the Category 4 Hurricane Francesback in 2004, then subsequently weathered the Category 5 storm Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Needless to say, the plants have been specifically designed and built to survive extreme weather, and not present danger to surrounding communities. However, none of these past storms were as strong as Hurricane Irma.
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In an email to Reuters, Robbins shared that the plants would likely begin shutdown before Saturday, or early Saturday — if that decision is made.