Brock Long

Evacuees from Hurricane Irma were returning on Sept. 13 to the Florida Keys, where sunrise will give them a first glimpse of devastation that has left countless homes and businesses in ruins.

Categorized as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, Irma claimed more than 60 lives, officials said.

U.S. President Donald Trump's hiring and budget plans are raising questions about whether he can deliver the "better-than-ever" recovery he's promised after Hurricane Harvey devastated a swath of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

U.S. emergency management officials said on Monday they were expediting federal resources to Texas to help with rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey swamped coastal areas of the state and forced 30,000 people to seek refuge in temporary shelters.

By the time Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a Category 1 storm early Saturday, it had already delivered a 1-2 punch to the Gulf Coast of Texas, making landfall twice, with powerful wind gusts and the threat of catastrophic flooding.

It was still threatening to be the most powerful storm to hit the Lone Star State in more than a decade.