Florida begins Hurricane Irma evacuations
Governor warns storm will be stronger than Andrew in 1992
Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, tore through a string of Caribbean islands Wednesday, knocking down buildings and disrupting power as it settled into a likely track for a weekend landing in southern Florida.
While there was no immediate casualty figures from the storm Wednesday, particularly from areas where power was knocked out, French President Emmanuel Macron said there will be deaths in French Caribbean territories, France24 reported.
In Florida, South Carolina and Georgia, officials declared states of emergency and enacted defensive measures against a full onslaught from the 185-mph storm.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 1,000 National Guard members as local authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for the Florida Keys and low-lying areas on the mainland.
“We can rebuild your home, we can’t rebuild your life,” he cautioned.
The governor warned Irma’s unpredictable track could range from the Florida Panhandle to the East Coast and that the entire state should be prepared.
Scott emphasized Irma would be stronger and larger than Hurricane Andrew, the Category 5 storm that in 1992 killed 65 people in
Florida, destroyed more than 63,500 homes and caused $26.5 billion in damage.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster also declared a state of emergency. “We can’t stop the hurricane,” McMaster said. “If it comes, it’s going to be here, but we can be ready for it.”
Meanwhile, Florida officials worked to keep bottled water and fuel flowing into areas where residents were either stocking up to stay or getting ready to pull out.
Irma seemed likely to scrape the northern sections of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba, while directly targeting the Bahamas, Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
By 2 p.m. ET, Irma was about 90 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving toward the westnorthwest at 16 mph.
U.S. Navy officials decided
not to evacuate the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba’s eastern tip, but did order an evacuation of nonessential personnel at Naval Air Station Key West.
Previous hurricanes with Irma’s ferocity, such as Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Mitch in 1998, reached maximum intensity in either the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea.
“The chance of direct impacts from Irma beginning later this week and this weekend from wind, storm surge and rainfall continues to increase in the Florida Keys and portions of the Florida Peninsula,” the National Hurricane Center said. “However, it is too soon to specify the timing and magnitude of these impacts.”