Millions told to get out as Irma moves closer to Florida

MIAMI, FL. (NEWS 1130) – Hurricane Irma beat Cuba as it roared toward Florida today after hitting the eastern Caribbean with devastatingly high winds, killing more than 20 people and leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.

Irma is considered one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in 100 years and it’s expected to hit Florida on Sunday morning, bringing massive damage from wind and flooding to the fourth-largest state by population. A historic evacuation, including areas around Miami, has been made more difficult by clogged highways, gas shortages and the unique challenge of trying to move the elderly from the popular retirement location.

The storm could regain strength and hit the Florida Keys as a Category 5 hurricane, the most powerful designation by the National Hurricane Center, with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (258 km/h).

The US has experienced only three Category 5 storms since 1851, and Irma is far larger than the last one to hit the United States in 1992, Hurricane Andrew, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“We are running out of time. If you are in an evacuation zone, you need to go now. This is a catastrophic storm like our state has never seen,” Governor Rick Scott told reporters, adding that the storm’s effects would be felt from coast to coast in the state.

A total of 5.6 million people, or one-quarter of the state’s population, were ordered to evacuate Florida, the Associated Press reported, citing Andrew Sussman, the state’s hurricane program manager.

The National Hurricane Center is warning Floridians that even if the storm seems to moving away from the East Coast in the latest tracks, don’t get complacent. “This is a storm that will kill you if you don’t get out of the way,” said National Hurricane Center meteorologist and spokesman Dennis Feltgen.

Feltgen says the storm has a really wide eye, with hurricane-force winds that cover the entire Florida peninsula and potentially deadly storm surges on both coasts. “Everybody’s going to feel this one,” Feltgen said.

Meantime, South Carolina’s governor has ordered the evacuation of seven barrier islands because Irma could hit.
Gov. Henry McMaster said 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) of storm surge is possible on the islands in the southern part of the state even though the center of Irma is forecast to move 200 miles to the west.

With about 40,000 residents, Hilton Head Island is by far the largest island evacuated. It also has a number of resorts, golf courses and hotels. South Carolina Adjutant General Robert Livingston estimates 20,000 people have already left Hilton Head Island.