Florida (September 8, 2017): Florida Governor Rick Scott on Thursday urged people to evacuate in the state ahead of Hurricane Irma’s arrival, a storm set to unleash devastation on Miami as early as Sunday morning.
“If you live in any evacuation zones and you’re still at home, leave!” Scott warned Floridians at a news conference Thursday. “Do not try to ride out this storm … we can’t save you once the storm hits.”
At least 500,000 people in South Florida now face evacuation orders. Scott said that regardless of their location, people should be ready to get out. The governor noted that Florida’s western coast “will still have hurricane conditions.”
Hurricane Irma is located about 120 miles southeast of Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos, the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 p.m. ET advisory. The storm is headed west-northwest at 16 mph with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph.
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties are all now under a hurricane watch, which is issued 48 hours in advance by the National Hurricane Center. The watch means hurricane conditions will be possible within the next two days in the specified area, and residents should prepare accordingly.
The National Hurricane Center said hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles from Irma’s center and tropical storm-force winds extended 175 miles. Irma has killed at least 9 people as it has tore through the Caribbean.
“Irma will have major hurricane impacts,” Scott said, adding they should be expected along Florida’s east coast. The Florida Keys should expect effects from the storm Friday night, he said.
“Look at the size of this storm. It is wider than our entire state,” Scott said. “Every Floridian should take this serious and protect your family.”
As Irma continues to barrel toward South Florida, residents in parts of the Miami metro area are under mandatory orders to leave their homes.
Mayors in Miami-Dade and Broward counties issued mandatory evacuation orders for barrier islands and low-lying mainland areas in the metro area of 6 million.
Officials in Miami-Dade County opened four additional shelters, including pet-friendly ones, for residents seeking safety from Irma.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez expanded evacuation orders Thursday to cover Miami’s downtown, as well as portions of the southern part of the county threatened by Irma’s potential storm surge.
“This storm doesn’t appear to be going anywhere,” he said Thursday. An estimated 31,000 people left the Florida Keys as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to Scott, after all visitors were ordered to clear out, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic on the single highway that links the chain of low-lying islands to the mainland.
At an earlier news conference, Scott said the state’s gas situation is a “top priority.”
“I have been very clear to the retailers,” Scott said. “We have to get the fuel as fast as we can out so people can evacuate.”
The governor is asking the federal government, including the Environmental Protection Agency and White House, to waive restrictions to get as much fuel to Florida as possible before Irma nears.
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