Irma: Why Florida avoided catastrophe

At the end of last week Florida was

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bracing itself for one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, but this week it is clear the US state was spared much of the predicted devastation.

This is mostly down to the route of the storm, but is also partly because of how much notice the state had to prepare.

The storm was a category five - the highest possible - when it swept over the Caribbean destroying nearly all the buildings on some islands. But when it hit the Florida Keys islands on Sunday, it was down to category four, and it continued weakening over other parts of Florida.

"I didn't see the damage I thought I would see," said the state's Governor Rick Scott, after flying over the Keys to survey damage.