Immense hurricane puts all of Florida at risk
Current tracking shows the storm’s eye splitting Florida as it roars up the central corridor just west of the Miami metropolitan area, with a population of 6 million. The 400- mile- wide storm is expected to straddle the 160- mile- wide state as it moves north, bringing strong winds and storm surges to both coasts.
The eye of Irma should be near the southern Florida peninsula by Sunday morning, the hurricane center said.
The storm has killed at least 20 people since roaring out of the open Atlantic and chewing through a string of Caribbean islands. Four deaths were reported in the British Virgin Islands, nine on the French Caribbean islands of St. Martin and St. Barts, four in the U. S. Virgin Islands, and one each on the islands of Anguilla, Barbuda and the Dutch side of St. Martin.
In Florida, the National Weather Service said life- threatening winds from Irma could severely damage sturdy buildings, destroy mobile homes and cause widespread damage from large airborne projectiles.
It also warned of the possible devastating impact of storm surge across Miami-Dade, Mainland Monroe and Collier counties. Many buildings could be washed away, and damage in the area could be compounded by floating debris.
Evacuation orders for Miami- Dade cover some 680,000 people, including all mobile- home residents and those living in the most threatened, low- lying areas, such as barrier islands. County officials worked to open more than 40 shelters with a total capacity of 100,000 — their largest- ever logistical operation.
In northeast Florida, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office issued amandatory evacuation order for key coastal and low- lying areas and for mobile homes.
Scott ordered all public schools, colleges and universities closed through Monday. The governor told residents not to become complacent.
“Irma is wider than our entire state and is expected to cause major and lifethreatening impacts from coast to coast,” he said. “Do not put yourself or your families at risk,” he added. “If you have been ordered to evacuate and are still at home, please go.”
Florida Power and Light said as many as 4.1 million customers — or 9 million people— are expected to lose power.
Scott said Irma would hit harder than Hurricane Andrew, the 1992 Category 5 storm that killed 65 people in Florida, destroyed more than 63,500 homes and caused $ 26.5 billion in damage.
In Washington, White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert said residents who refused to get out of the path of the hurricane should provide themselves shelter and enough food and water for at least a 72- hour period until emergency responders can reach them.
“It’s not a tough- love message, it’s just a message of clarity and honesty,” Bossert said.
Meanwhile, the extent of damage from Irma in the Caribbean remained unclear. Waves as high as 20 feet had been expected in the Turks and Caicos. Communications went down as the storm slammed into the islands. The U. S. Consulate General in Curaçao said it thinks about 6,000 Americans are stranded on St. Martin.