Former Derbyshire man's hurricane fears

John Aktin, formerly from Chesterfield, now lives in Sarasota, in the US state of Florida, where the devastating force of the hurricane was felt overnight.

The huge storm weakened as it hit the area, but Miami and other areas have been battered and flooded.

Media reports have linked at least four deaths to the storm.

Irma is now a category one hurricane but still has maximum sustained winds of 75mph.

It cut a devastating track across 10 Caribbean countries and territories, killing at least 28 people there.

John said: “We were very lucky. There are lots of fallen trees but fortunately we have no damage.

“The waiting was the worst part, talk about the sword of Damocles.”

John currently has no power and has no idea how long it will be before the supply is reconnected.

He added: “I was scared for our building from the winds, the house is 55 years old, the roof 20 years old, windows are not impact resistant so I expected damage, we were lucky.

“I have a friend on Siesta Key which was a mandatory evacuation, he’s lived in his house 37 years, honestly didn’t expect it to be around when he got back.”

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