Irma Weakens to Tropical Storm as Florida Damage Forecast Is Cut
- Wind, water raging on, but one estimate sinks by $150 billion
- Millions left without power but signs damage less than feared
Irma Weakens, But Leaves Cities Swamped in Its Wake
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Florida is drenched, tattered -- but fortunate.
Hurricane Irma weakened as it moved past Tampa on Monday, leaving in its wake a state that avoided the worst predictions of its destruction by sea and storm. By one estimate, the cost of total damages dropped to $49 billion from $200 billion earlier. Still, at least 5.6 million were without power, millions displaced and as much as 15 inches of rain were forecast in what may yet go down as one of the worst storms in Florida’s history.