Some Florida residents opt to weather storm

> Many choose to ignore evacuation orders

MIAMI: As Florida’s authorities rush to complete an unprecedented evacuation of millions ahead of an expected direct hit by Hurricane Irma, officials have issued their final dire warnings.

Governor Rick Scott called it a “killer storm” where people “cannot survive” the expected storm surges, urging residents that Saturday night marked the last chance to “make a good decision and evacuate”.

President Donald Trump called Irma a storm of “enormous destructive potential” and urged residents to “get out of its way”. “Property is replaceable but lives are not.” More than six million people have been ordered to evacuate Florida – with more across other states such as Georgia.

However, despite the warnings and the near-hurricane winds that began late on Saturday night – not to mention the threat from tornadoes and lightning – many residents of southern Florida are choosing to stay and wait out Irma.

“Now I know my roof can handle this, I’m very happy,” said Elizabeth Hannan, who lives just west of Ft Lauderdale on Florida’s eastern coast.

She was referring to a shift in the tracking report for Hurricane Irma that showed the storm moving up Florida’s western Gulf coast, rather than hitting Miami as had previously been expected.

The shift in path now sees southwestern Florida, and up the coast to Tampa shift into the crosshairs of the storm and its 210kph winds – but as he has done for days, Scott was at pains on Saturday to point out that all parts of the state are in danger, whether from the winds or from the storm surges near the coast which the governor sees as the biggest danger.

In a number of media appearances and press conferences, Scott said he needed “everyone to listen and get out”.

“The storm surge is what really scares me,” he said referring to reports of 10ft to 15ft storm surges around Fort Meyers and Tampa, and up to 6ft in Miami. “You cannot survive this,” he added. In Miami, officials had issued evacuation orders and warned that a direct hit from Irma could lead to major devastation, but many had opted to stay put either at home or in shelters.

As the winds picked up, and heavy rain fell – and tornados were reported in a number of areas – Hannan said that she’s prepared for potential power outages.

Nearby, Rick Costello, a lawyer with a home right on the beach in Hollywood, said that he had considered heading inland but was going to stick out the storm in his light blue coastal home with clay shingles.

“I’m more worried about people out west,” he said, watching the waves outside his home before the winds picked up.

His home was equipped with metal shields for his glass deck doors facing the ocean, and hurricane-proof windows.

He hoped the 10-foot elevation of his home would be enough.

At the Shenanigans East Side Pub, in Hollywood on the eastern coast more than two dozen people packed in Saturday night to eat pizza, drink beer, and enjoy each other’s company before the worst of Irma’s effects were felt in the area.

“We’re going to play it by ear. We’ll close down when the wind gets bad enough,” one employee said. – The Independent