Southeast braces for Irma’s impact
Hurricane’s 185-mph winds strongest ever from Atlantic
Officials in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia declared states of emergency and enacted defensive measures Wednesday against a full onslaught from Hurricane Irma. 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.
Scott warned Irma’s unpredictable track could range from the Florida Panhandle to the East Coast and that the entire state should be prepared. The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history was packing winds of 185 mph as it tore through a string of Caribbean islands Wednesday.
Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in 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.
In St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, at least two people died and at least two others were seriously wounded, a spokesperson for France’s ministry for its overseas territories told ABC News. An infant died in Barbuda, where as many as 95% of structures were damaged, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne told CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360˚.
In Florida, South Carolina and Georgia, states of emergency were declared to prepare for a full onslaught from the storm’s 185-mph winds.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 1,000 National Guard members as authorities ordered evacuations for the Florida Keys and low-lying areas on the mainland.
“We can rebuild your home. We can’t rebuild your life,” he cautioned anyone contemplating riding out the storm.
The governor warned that Irma’s track could range from the Florida Panhandle to the East
Coast and that the entire state should be prepared. He emphasized Irma would be stronger and larger than Hurricane Andrew, the Category 5 storm in 1992 that 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 got this,” he said. “We can’t stop the hurricane. 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.
In Key Largo, a steady stream of vehicles, many of them towing boats, flowed off the Keys toward Miami Wednesday afternoon.
“People are pretty calm now that it’s shifted more east, but everyone is still preparing,” said gas station owner Ray Ochoa, 42. Ochoa said his Key Largo Chevron station ran out of gas Tuesday.
“It’s a hell of a way to close out the season,” he said.
The pressure to prepare built throughout Wednesday as Irma swept west out of the open Atlantic and chewed through a string of islands, including St. Martin, Barbuda, Anguilla and St. Barts.
Irma appeared it would scrape the northern sections of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba and directly target the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Michel Magras, senator on the small French-speaking island of St. Barts, sent a text describing the “monster that passes over us,” FranceInfo.com reported. “It is apocalyptic, a lot of damage, a lot of roofs torn off,” he wrote.
President Trump has declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.