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Hurricane Irma approaches Turks and Caicos Islands, threatens Florida

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Washington, Sep 8 (IANS) The eye of the devastating category-5 hurricane Irma was moving near the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday and continued tracking towards South Florida where it could slam Miami this weekend.

The hurricane was currently located about 85 km west-southwest of the Grand Turk Island and about 145 km off the eastern coast of the Great Inagua island in the Bahamas bringing with it maximum sustained winds of 280 km/h, reports Efe news.

The Turks and Caicos are a British overseas territory in the Caribbean with about 35,000 people.

Officials there are “working intensively on disaster preparedness and response … (and) liaising with their counterparts in the Cayman Islands for assistance,” CNN quoted UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Alan Duncan as saying Thursday night.

Although its intensity is expected to fluctuate in the next 48 hours, it will remain a “powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane” as it is moving towards the west and northwest at 26 km/h, weather experts warned.

Irma is then expected to move towards the northern part of Cuba and then Florida.

Don Dixon, a meteorologist at the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami, told Efe news that it was still too early to say where the eye of Irma will make landfall in South Florida due to the variations that may occur, but it is very likely that Florida residents will begin to experience strong winds caused by the approaching Hurricane on Saturday afternoon.

Authorities have issued a hurricane and cyclone storm watch for the next 48 hours in the areas stretching from Jupiter Cove to Bonita Beach, including the Florida Keys, on the southern end of the state, Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay.

Several parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Santo Espiritu and Villa Clara, are also under hurricane alert.

In Florida, residents in Monroe, Broward and parts of Miami-Dade counties have been told to evacuate due to the potentially catastrophic effects of Irma, the strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history.

So far, Irma has killed at least 10 people after it made landfall early Wednesday morning in the Caribbean and hit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda and also left hundreds of thousands of customers in Puerto Rico without power.

Eleven tropical storms have formed so far in 2017, six of which converted into hurricanes.

During Irma’s passage through the Dominican Republic, heavy winds and rainfall wrecked several northern communities of the country, leading to extensive property damages.

Strong waves swept away eight houses located in the coastal neighbourhood of Playa Oeste in the Puerto Plata province, and knocked down three more in La Piedra, a small community in Los Charamicos.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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