Officials in the Florida Keys are set to begin mandatory evacuations for visitors on Wednesday morning ahead of rapidly approaching Hurricane Irma.
The storm, which has undergone rapid intensification in the past several days is now the strongest Atlantic hurricane in the last 10 years, a dangerous Category 5, which could have severe impacts on Caribbean island nations and possibly the United States.
A state of emergency has been declared for all counties in Florida, and residents across the region are trying to stock up on food, water and other essentials. Gov. Rick Scott activated members of the Florida National Guard on Tuesday and said that all 7,000 will be available as of Friday morning.
So water, food, fuel and emergency supplies can be brought in quickly, Scott has rescinded all weight and driver restrictions on the highways and also suspended all tolls “for the duration of the storm’s impacts to Florida.”
During a press conference held Tuesday, Scott confirmed that President Donald Trump had granted a pre-landfall emergency declaration. The order frees up funding for emergency protective measures such as shoring up beach dunes, preparing for evacuations and building emergency beams.
The governor said that he had spoken to Trump, who “offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma.”
Officials in the Florida Keys have activated the Monroe County Emergency Operations Center, and have ordered mandatory evacuations for both visitors and residents ahead of Hurricane Irma. Vistors will begin evacuating at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the county said in a Facebook post, while resident evacuations will begin at 7 p.m.
“If ever there was a storm to take seriously in the Keys, this is it,” Monroe County Emergency Management Director Martin Senterfitt told WPLG. “The sooner people leave, the better.”
Tuesday the Key West International Airport announced it would be suspending airline operationsWednesday night due to the threat of the storm. All commercial flights are canceled through Thursday morning until further notice.
Starting Wednesday, all schools in the Florida Keys will be closed until further notice, the Monroe County School District said in a statement on Tuesday. Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie announced Tuesday that all schools in Broward County will be closed starting Thursday. All Palm Beach County School District schools will be also be closed.
Miami-Dade County public schools will also be closed Thursday and Friday, NBC Miami reports. The Archdiocese of Miami said all elementary and high schools in Miami-Dade and Broward will be closed Thursday and Friday.
All Monroe county Schools are closed until further notice.
People with special needs will be evacuated from Miami beginning on Wednesday morning, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez told WSVN. Miami-Dade County officials were already advising residents living in low-lying areas to start evacuating on Wednesday.
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has asked residents to voluntarily evacuate ahead of the storm, CBS Miami reports.
“This is so serious,” said Levine. “There are so many people that may want to get off this island. If you can, begin making plans now to leave Miami Beach.”
The University of Central Florida moved its football game against Memphis to Friday as a precaution, the Associated Press reports. The game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, will be held Friday.
Residents in the Miami area are already getting “jittery” ahead of the approaching storm, according to the Miami Herald; bottled water was in short supply and stores are packed with shoppers.
“It’s gonna get crazy and I’d rather get it done before there’s more people and it’s chaos,” Mike Kizek, who was buying groceries at the Publix in Morningside, told the Herald. “If I waited, then all that would be left is cans of tomato sauce.”
No water jugs at this Miami grocery store. pic.twitter.com/Tx9v7V5x8R
— Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) September 4, 2017
Even in Northwest Florida, shoppers are taking precautions.
“I have to be prepared,” Lauren Hook told WEAR. “With everything going on in Houston, with going through Ivan, I have a five-month-old at home. I feel like I have to be ready. I feel like I prepare like it’s coming because probably one’s going to come eventually. I’d rather be prepared. It’s better safe than sorry.”
Monday, he declared a state of emergency for every county in the state in anticipation of a possible strike from Hurricane Irma, which was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane Tuesday morning with sustained winds of 175 mph.
In the declaration, Scott said he was instructing the director of the Division of Emergency Management to “execute the state’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and other response, recovery and mitigation plans to cope with the emergency.”
“I have continued to be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Hurricane Irma and current forecast models have Florida in Irma’s path – potentially impacting millions of Floridians,” Scott said in a statement. “Today, given these forecasts and the intensity of this storm, I have declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida to make certain that state, federal and local governments are able to work together and make sure resources are dispersed to local communities as we get prepared for this storm.”
He noted that while the exact path of Irma is not yet known, “in Florida, we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We cannot afford to not be prepared.”
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-irma-florida-preps-impacts
Thanks Angel.