Scenes of destruction from Irma began to trickle in

Marcus Gilmer
Updated

While the Florida and Atlantic Coasts anxiously prepare for monstrous Hurricane Irma to decide where it will make landfall this weekend, the storm's currently buzzsawing across the Caribbean, leaving a trail of unfathomable destruction. 

SEE ALSO: Historic Hurricane Irma taking a buzzsaw to Caribbean as threat grows for Puerto Rico, Florida

On Wednesday, Irma rolled across small islands like Anguilla and Saint Martin as it continued to spin onward toward the U.S. and British Virgin Islands as well as Puerto Rico. 

In fact, Irma's eye was so well-defined — a sign that underscores the storm's strength — that the islands of Anguilla and Saint Martin could be seen on satellite imagery in the middle of the eye. 

Those islands also bore the brunt of Irma's wrath. In St. Martin, several government buildings considered among the island's sturdiest were leveled. 

But photos and video told the real story—visceral images of Irma's destructive power, like the one below taken at the famous Maho Beach where tourists gather to watch planes fly extremely low to complete their descent and landing at the adjacent St. Maarten Airport.

Other videos and photos showed boats smashed into unrecognizable debris, as well as high floodwaters from the storm's surge.

St. Maarten airport reported sustained winds at 133 mph gusting to 161 at storm's peak there.

Next in Irma's path: Puerto Rico, where heavy winds are already being recorded. 

This is a developing story...