Hurricane Irma has claimed at least 14 lives and caused "unprecedented carnage" in the Caribbean, as another storm - Jose - is upgraded to a category three hurricane and heads for the region.

Irma has weakened from a category five storm to category four, but is still packing sustained winds of around 155mph.

:: LIVE: All the latest on Hurricane Irma

#HurricaneIrma, at Cat. 5 strength, takes aim at the #Bahamas in this latest infrared animation from NOAA's #GOES16 on Sept. 7, 2017. pic.twitter.com/jvgRLFjJ5O — NOAA Satellites PA (@NOAASatellitePA) 7 September 2017

It hit British territory the Turks and Caicos Islands in the early hours of Friday (UK time) and was also expected to affect parts of the Bahamas and Cuba in the following hours.

The storm could reach the US state of Florida during the weekend, and thousands of residents have already started to evacuate.


Image: Cars piled on top of one another in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on the French Collectivity of Saint Martin in the northeast Caribbean Image: Destruction outside the Mercure hotel in Marigo Image: Boats wrecked ashore near the Bay of Nettle, on Saint-Martin Image: A car turned onto its side in Marigot Image: Saint Martin Image: Saint Martin Image: A Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, before Dfid aid is loaded and flown to the areas affected by Hurricane Irma Image: Damage in Orient Bay on Saint-Martin Image: Destruction caused by Irma on the British Virgin Islands Image: Turks and Caicos Islands Image: Locals walk past a fallen power pole in the Dominican Republic Image: Nagua, Dominican Republic Image: The aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin Image: View of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin /

Evacuation orders have also been issued for about 540,000 residents of Georgia, where 15ft storm surges are predicted.

According to the UN, a total of 49 million people could be affected by Irma - one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century.

The British Virgin Islands and the British overseas territory of Anguilla have already suffered "severe" damage.

Hurricane #Irma Threats & Impacts Graphics as of 11am Thursday 9/7/17 #FLwx pic.twitter.com/gP9MbwXLjx — NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) 7 September 2017

A Royal Navy ship, Mounts Bay, which is carrying marines, is now in Anguilla and another, HMS Ocean, is being sent to the Caribbean as part of a taskforce with several hundred troops.

HMS Ocean could arrive at its destination in nine to 10 days.

Image: HMS Ocean is heading to the Caribbean

Critics contrasted Britain's response with that of other European governments with Caribbean territories, including the Dutch, whose military had already been on the ground in St Martin for a number of hours.

Irma: Some not convinced by UK response

Josephine Connor, former adviser to the chief minister of Anguilla, told Sky News: "To tell us that you're sending us experts without a timeframe and in the context where everyone knew in advance that this was going to be the largest storm ever recorded in history of the Atlantic is so unacceptable that it's really appalling.

"We in the territories feel like third-class citizens because I'd rather wager that if there were something coming like that, of the same magnitude, to the mainland UK, I suspect that there would be far more attention being paid."

:: Hurricane Irma path: What countries have been affected?

Where the hurricane's been and where it's going

The UK Government has also increased the money available for the hurricane relief effort from £12m to £32m.

Announcing the support for the British islands, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: "These are our people, they're British nationals and we're going to do everything possible to get help to them."

Fallon on UK's response to Caribbean hurricanes

Some of the worst destruction has been on the island of Barbuda, where 90% of properties were damaged and many were demolished.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told Sky News the "carnage in Barbuda is unprecedented".

Mr Browne said about half of its 1,800 residents had been left homeless, adding the winds were so powerful that 12m (40ft) long containers were lifted into the air - ending up 100m (328ft) away.

:: Hurricane Irma extreme weather forecast

Image: Major damage on St Martin in the Caribbean

A two-year-old was killed on the island as a family tried to escape a damaged home during the storm.

Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan told the Commons that Anguilla had taken the full force of the storm and there were "unconfirmed reports of a number of fatalities".

At least one person has died on the island and 90% of the island's roads were impassible.

The damage is "not as severe as first thought" on another British territory, Montserrat.

A hurricane watch has been issued for South Florida and the Florida Keys. More information available at https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/SzlkILQj0h — NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) 7 September 2017

Four people had died on the French side of St Martin and another on the Dutch side, where many houses are missing roofs and hotels are under water.

Three deaths have been reported in Puerto Rico, and four others in the US Virgin Islands.

:: You can see our special programme 'Hurricane: Path of Destruction' today on Sky News at 4.30pm, 6.30pm and 8.30pm.