Hurricane Irma is lashing Cuba with strong winds and heavy rain after devastating several Caribbean islands.

The hurricane made landfall on the Camaguey Archipelago, in Cuba’s north-east, as a category five storm.

But the Bahamas have largely been spared after Irma changed track.

In Florida, 5.6 million people, or 25% of the US state’s population, have been told to leave as the storm approaches. At least 20 people are known to have died so far across the Caribbean.

Irma hit the Camaguey Archipelago late on Friday, threatening nearby coastal towns and villages.

It was the first category five hurricane to hit Cuba in decades, although it had weakened to category four by Saturday morning.

At 09:00 GMT, Irma had maximum sustained winds of 249km/h (155mph), the National Hurricane Center in the US said.

A hurricane warning is currently in effect in the provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara and Matanzas, while floods have been reported in the north-east.

Some communities have lost power, and communication is becoming increasingly difficult with towns in more remote areas, the BBC’s Will Grant in Havana reports.

Cuban officials reported “significant damage”, without giving further details, but said there were no confirmed casualties yet, AFP news agency reported.

Residents are hoping the storm will just glance the island before heading across the Florida Straits.

Earlier, people tried to secure their roofs and move belongings from low-lying coastal areas to higher ground.

“There are really strong gusts of wind. It is pouring off and on, and the lights are out,” Anaida Gonzalez, a retired nurse in the Camaguey province, told Reuters.

About 50,000 tourists are fleeing or have fled Cuba, with resorts on the north coast now empty, the news agency reports.

Irma is expected to hit Florida on Sunday.

Brock Long, the head of the US federal emergency agency, warned that Irma would “devastate” either Florida or neighbouring states.

He said that parts of Florida would be without power for days.

“The entire south-eastern United States better wake up and pay attention,” he added.

Florida Governor Rick Scott said all Floridians should be prepared for possible evacuation, and issued a stark warning to those in threatened areas.

“We are running out of time. If you are in an evacuation zone, you need to go now,” he told reporters.

“Remember, we can rebuild your home, we can’t rebuild your life.”

The death toll continued to rise on Friday in the Caribbean.

France’s Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said nine people were dead and seven missing in the French territory on St Martin, an island shared with the Netherlands, and St Barthélemy.

Another death – the second – has been confirmed in the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten.

French officials said six out of 10 homes on Saint-Martin were so badly damaged that they were uninhabitable.

US President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to extend his condolences and offer support, the White House said.

French, British and Dutch military authorities have deployed aid – including warships and planes equipped with food, water and troops – to their territories.

Reporting from another badly damaged island, Barbuda, the BBC’s Laura Bicker says the destruction there is worse than feared.

Which other areas have already been hit?

• Turks and Caicos Islands: widespread damage, although extent unclear
• Barbuda: the small island is said to be “barely habitable”, with 95% of the buildings damaged. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne estimates reconstruction will cost $100m (£80m). One death has been confirmed
• Anguilla: extensive damage with one person confirmed dead
• Puerto Rico: more than 6,000 residents of the US territory are in shelters and many more without power. At least three people have died
• British Virgin Islands: widespread damage reported
• US Virgin Islands: damage to infrastructure was said to be widespread, with four deaths confirmed
• Haiti and the Dominican Republic: Both battered by the storm, but neither had as much damage as initially feared

Are there more hurricanes to come?

Another storm, Jose, further out in the Atlantic behind Irma, is now a category four hurricane, with winds of up to 240km/h (150mph).

It is following a similar path to Irma and already hampering relief efforts in some of the worst affected areas.

Residents of Barbuda, where 95% of buildings have been destroyed by Irma, have now left the island as Jose approaches.

Hurricane Katia, in the Gulf of Mexico, a category one storm with winds of up to 75mph, made landfall on the Mexican Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz late on Friday.

The storm is expected to weaken rapidly in the coming hours.

Are you in the region? Are you a holidaymaker unable to get a flight home or a resident who has been preparing for Hurricane Irma? If it is safe for you to do so, share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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US country music singer Don Williams – who enjoyed great success with his easy-going singing style – has died aged 78 after a short illness.

Williams began his solo career in 1971, amassing 17 number one country hits. His songs such as Gypsy Woman and Tulsa Time, were covered by singers such as Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend.

Williams was known as the gentle giant of country music.

Another country star, Troy Gentry, also died on Friday in a helicopter crash.

Williams’ other hits included You’re My Best Friend, I Believe in You and Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good.

In 2010, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The news of the death of 50-year-old Troy Gentry has shocked country music fans and artists.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo, Montgomery Gentry, was tragically killed in a helicopter crash which took place at approximately 1:00pm today in Medford, New Jersey,” a statement of the band’s website said.

The helicopter’s pilot also died in the incident, but the reasons for the crash remain unclear.

The country duo, who were brothers, formed in 1999 and had released eight studio albums.

Country music stars including Sheryl Crow paid tribute to Gentry on social media.

Grammy award-winning Singer Brad Paisley said he was “heartbroken and in disbelief” at the news of Gentry’s death in a Friday night tweet.

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Hurricane Irma will “devastate” either Florida or neighbouring states, the head of the US federal emergency agency has said.

Brock Long said parts of Florida would be without power for days. Half a million people in the state have been ordered to leave their homes.

Hurricane Irma has left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, affecting an estimated 1.2m people.

At least 20 people are known to have died so far.

It has been downgraded to a category four storm, but officials warn that it remains “extremely dangerous”.

The US National Weather Service says that Irma was expected to bring wind speeds of around 165mph (270km/h) over the weekend as it hits Florida.

“Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States in either Florida or some of the south-eastern states,” Mr Long said.

“The entire south-eastern United States better wake up and pay attention,” he added.

The death toll continued to rise on Friday in the Caribbean.

France’s Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said nine people were dead and seven missing in the French territory on St Martin, an island shared with the Netherlands, and St Barthélemy, known more commonly as St Barts. Another death – the second – has been confirmed in the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten.

French officials said six out of 10 homes on Saint-Martin were so badly damaged that they were uninhabitable.

The US Consulate General in Curacao said it believes an estimated 6,000 Americans are stranded on the island.

French, British and Dutch military authorities have deployed aid – including warships and planes equipped with food, water and troops – to their territories.

Reporting from another badly damaged island, Barbuda, the BBC’s Laura Bicker says the destruction there is worse than feared.

Where is Irma – and where next?

The storm, which most recently lashed the Turks and Caicos islands and brought torrential rain to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, was headed towards Cuba and the Bahamas.

The worst of the storm is expected to hit east and central Cuba, with the eye of the storm predicted to pass between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

About 50,000 tourists are fleeing or have fled Cuba, with resorts on the north coast now empty, Reuters reports.

A huge evacuation of south-eastern, low-lying coastal areas in the Bahamas has been ordered. The tourism ministry said in a video statement that thousands of tourists left before the storm’s arrival.

Meanwhile Mr Long predicted a “truly devastating” impact on Florida.

South Florida “may be uninhabitable for weeks or months” because of the storm, the US National Weather Service said.

On the archipelago of Turks and Caicos, with its population of about 35,000, one witness described a drop in pressure that could be felt in people’s chests.

Irma ripped off roofs on the capital island, Grand Turk, flooded streets, snapped utility poles and caused a widespread black-out.

Governor John Freeman told the BBC that people in low-lying areas were evacuated and sent to shelters. The islands’ highest point is only 50m (163ft).

Irma also caused some damage to roofs, flooding and power outages in the northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Which other areas have already been hit?

• The Turks and Caicos Islands: widespread damage, although extent unclear
• Barbuda: the small island is said to be “barely habitable”, with 95% of the buildings damaged. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne estimates reconstruction will cost $100m (£80m). One death has been confirmed
• Anguilla: extensive damage with one person confirmed dead
• Puerto Rico: more than 6,000 residents of the US territory are in shelters and many more without power. At least three people have died
• British Virgin Islands: widespread damage reported
• US Virgin Islands: damage to infrastructure was said to be widespread, with four deaths confirmed
• Haiti and the Dominican Republic: Both battered by the storm, but neither had as much damage as initially feared

What the US can expect

Irma is due to hit Florida as a category four hurricane on Sunday, bringing storm surges and flooding.

“If you look at the size of this storm, it’s huge,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Thursday. “It’s wider than our entire state and could cause major and life-threatening impacts on both coasts – coast to coast.”

US President Donald Trump said: “I can say this: Florida is as well prepared as you can be for something like this. Now it’s just a question of what happens.”

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Hurricane and storm surge warnings have been issued for south Florida and the Florida Keys, the US National Hurricane Center says.

Mr Trump’s own Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach is among those ordered to evacuate, the Washington Post tweeted.

After ripping through Florida’s Atlantic coast, the storm is expected to move into Georgia and South Carolina.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said a mandatory evacuation on the state’s Atlantic coast was scheduled to begin on Saturday.

Roads and airports have been jammed as thousands of people tried to evacuate areas at risk, with reports of fuel shortages and gridlock on some roads.

Many tourists are stranded with no seats left on flights back to their countries as flights to and from airports in Florida are being suspended.

Orlando’s international airport said commercial flights would stop from 17:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Are there more hurricanes to come?

Another storm, Jose, further out in the Atlantic behind Irma, is now a category four hurricane, with winds of up to 195km/h (120mph).

Hurricane Katia, in the Gulf of Mexico, has strengthened to a category two storm, with winds of up to 140km/h (85mph). A warning is in effect for the coast of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the storm is expected to make landfall on Saturday.

Are you in the region? Are you a holidaymaker unable to get a flight home or a resident who has been preparing for Hurricane Irma? If it is safe for you to do so, share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +447555 173285
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk
• Upload your pictures / video here
• Send an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100

This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.

Steve Bannon’s remarks on the Catholic Church backing a US immigration scheme because immigrants fill the pews are “insulting”, a US cardinal has said.

New York-based Cardinal Timothy Dolan fired back after the ex-White House chief strategist said Catholics had an “economic interest” in US immigration.

He was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), which President Donald Trump ended this week.

The Obama-era policy offers protections to young, undocumented immigrants.

Cardinal Dolan, the Pope-appointed Archbishop of New York who supported the programme, said on Thursday he was “befuddled” by Mr Bannon’s comments.

“I don’t really care to go into what I think is a preposterous and rather insulting statement, that the only reason we bishops care for immigrants is for the economic because we want to fill our churches and get more money,” he told Sirius XM’s Catholic Channel.

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“That’s insulting and that’s just so ridiculous that it doesn’t merit a comment.”

Daca, which was introduced by former President Barack Obama in 2012, allowed some 800,000 so-called “Dreamers” to apply for work and study permits under a policy which, critics said, amounted to an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

On Tuesday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Obama-era programme, giving Congress six months to craft new legislation to replace the policy.

In an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes programme, Mr Bannon defended Mr Trump’s decision and said the Catholic Church had “been terrible” on the issue.

“They need illegal aliens to fill the churches,” he said in the interview, set to air on Sunday. “They have an economic interest in unlimited immigration.”

Mr Bannon added that he respected Cardinal Dolan and the Catholic Church, but that immigration was “not about doctrine” and rather “about the sovereignty of a nation”.

“In that regard, they’re just another guy with an opinion”, he said.

Mr Dolan shot back, saying it was not an issue of Catholic doctrine but a Biblical one.

“The Bible is so clear, so clear, that to treat the immigrant with dignity and respect, to make sure that society is just in its treatment of the immigrant is Biblical mandate.”

This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.