Irma: Prepare, and if given the order, go

We’re right to be scared of Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history. With winds of 185 miles an hour, this Category 5 monster is terrorizing the Eastern Caribbean with massive destruction and untold misery.

We can be forgiven for watching the spaghetti-model updates and hoping the storm’s track continues its slight easterly turn.

But with all of Florida under a state of emergency, we cannot risk our lives on hope. The solution is to prepare, not panic. Also, we must heed the calls of public safety officials.

Effective Thursday at noon, Broward County has ordered people who live east of Federal Highway to evacuate. Miami-Dade County soon expects to order a similar evacuation of coastal areas. Already, the mayor of Miami Beach has asked his citizens to evacuate voluntarily.

If you’re in the evacuation zone, or live in a mobile home, evacuate. Don’t think twice about not going. Take the warnings seriously. Don’t ignore them.

If you’re planning to evacuate north, it’s time to reserve a hotel room or find space with a loved one. And leave before traffic clogs the roads or tropical-force winds make it unsafe to travel.

If you don’t live in an evacuation zone, but your home is in a floodprone area or fails to meet today’s tough building codes, arrange to buddy up with family or friends. If that’s not an option, know the location of the nearest hurricane shelter — and which ones allow pets.

We must take personal responsibility for our safety.

Thanks to lessons from past storms, we’ve demonstrated lightning-fast reflexes to Hurricane Irma. We’re putting up storm shutters, stocking up on water and canned goods, checking on family and neighbors, visiting the ATM, refilling gas tanks, setting aside medications, securing insurance documents and packing the car for the event of an evacuation.

Besides ourselves, Hurricane Irma is sure to test our emergency responders, government agencies and those who provide electricity, water and phone service. Deciding when to close schools, transform public buildings into shelters, respond to rescue calls and order people out of dangerous areas will expose some to criticism. Let public safety always be their guide.

Those who manage South Florida’s canals, levees and pumps will be tested, too. To lessen flooding threats, earlier this week the Army Corps of Engineers started draining water from Lake Okeechobee out to sea. The lake’s 30-foot-tall earthen dike is considered one of the country’s most at risk of failing. Even with pre-storm draining, the 143-mile-long dike will be challenged if Irma’s rains cause a spike in the water level.

The flooding that followed Hurricane Harvey’s historic drenching of Texas brought new attention to the need for flood insurance. And boats rescuing people from inland Houston neighborhoods showed the risk that rising water can pose far from the coast.

Twenty-five years ago, Hurricane Andrew showed South Florida the fury a storm can bring. Its devastation triggered tougher state building codes and more hurricane shutters.

Twelve years ago, the weeks-long power outages left by Hurricane Wilma spawned laws requiring back-up generators at gas stations and water treatment plants. More grocery stores and other businesses have also added generators so they can reopen sooner after storms pass.

Whether a direct hit or glancing blow, history shows we can and will survive monster storms, if we prepare.

And afterward, whether we face rebuilding or gratitude for a near miss, Hurricane Irma will teach us how to be even better prepared for the next one.