The eye of Hurricane Irma has hit Florida's southern islands as a category four storm. The storm is lashing the low-lying Keys with winds reaching 209 kms per hour. Florida Governor Rick Scott said he is very concerned about the state's western Gulf Coast, where the storm is expected to head next. More than 6.3 million people were told to evacuate Florida, with warnings of a huge storm surge that would be life-threatening to anyone in its path. Irma has already devastated parts of the Caribbean with at least 25 deaths.<br/><br/>Extreme winds, around the eye of the hurricane, are expected to last for the next two hours in the Lower Florida Keys area, which includes Key West. All residents had been ordered to leave. There are reports of storm surges on the coral cay islands, most of which are only a few feet above sea level. Some surges could reach 15 feet. One official had warned staying on the islands would be almost like suicide. <br/>As the eye of the storm is expected to move north to mainland Florida, more than a million homes in the state are reported to be without power and some 50,000 people have taken refuge in shelters. Cities such as Tampa and St Petersburg lie in the path of the storm. Irma is the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade, and has already caused widespread destruction on several Caribbean islands.<br/><br/>Millions of people, including thousands of Indian-Americans, in Florida braced for life-threatening Hurricane Irma which hit the state's southern islands today. About 60 Indian nationals are being evacuated from the vacation island of St Martin in the Caribbean. Around 120,000 Indian-Americans reside across Florida while thousands of them live in the now-dangerous zones of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.<br/><br/><br/>The Indian embassy in the US has opened a round-the-clock helpline number and rushed senior diplomats to Atlanta to lead relief efforts for Indian-Americans stuck in the region. The hotline number is 202-258-8819. Embassy officials said India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna is closely monitoring the situation.<br/>Sandeep Chakravorty, India's consul-general in New York, is in Atlanta overseeing preparation for relief efforts from a 24X7 control room. The Indian Consulate in Atlanta tweeted helpline numbers (+14044052567 & +1678179393) for people seeking assistance. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted 24X7 helpline at High Commission of India, Kingston (+1876 833 4500; +1876 564 1378). <br/><br/>He also tweeted email ids for Indians to contact in case of emergency:<br/>hc.kingston@mea.gov.in; hoc.kingston@mea.gov.in. The Indian Friends of Atlanta – in association with the Consulate-General of India, the Gujarat Samaj Atlanta and the Hindu Temple of Atlanta – have operationalised three shelters. The Indian embassy in Venezuela tweeted the helpline number in Aruba, a tiny Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, for the situation in Sint Maarten: 00297-593-2552. The helpline numbers in Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island, is 005999-513-2407; 005999-690-2686. <br/><br/>The Indian embassy in the Netherlands said countrymen affected by Irma can reach them on: 0031643743800. Those affected in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti can contact Indian authorities on emergency no. +5352131818 or email them at: controlroomindiairma@gmail.com. Almost entire Florida is under hurricane warning. US President Donald Trump reviewed preparedness with his cabinet colleagues at Camp David in Maryland. He asked federal and state agencies expedite assistance to affected areas.