Hurricane Irma: FIU In Miami Closed 'Until Further Notice'

MIAMI, FL — Florida International University was closed indefinitely after Hurricane Irma barreled into Miami on Sunday, officials said in a tweet.

The move comes after the university said in a release on its website Friday that it would probably take several days to reopen the university and several days after that to resume classes. (For more hurricane news and other Miami information, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Miami Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

FIU is closed until further notice and all classes are canceled. There will be ample notice to return to campus. Stay safe!
— FIU (@FIU) September 10, 2017

In downtown Miami, Irma's winds twisted a construction crane mounted on a high-rise, snapping it. City officials warned via Twitter to avoid the area and fire officials told the Miami Herald that weather conditions had deteriorated so badly that it was dangerous for crews to venture out to inspect — or secure — the crane. Later in the afternoon, a second large crane was reported to have collapsed at a building under construction on Northeast 30th Terrace. And on Northeast Fifth Avenue in Miami, a roof peeled off a two-story apartment building.

By 5 p.m., Irma was just 5 miles north of Naples and 30 miles south southeast of Fort Myers. The storm packed sustained winds of 110 mph, now a Category 2 storm, and is moving north at 14 miles per hour, reported the National Hurricane Center.

Students at Parkview waiting out the storm. Safe and secure. pic.twitter.com/NpMxLeVtF5
— FIU (@FIU) September 9, 2017

Photo credit: Eduardo Merille via Flickr/Creative Commons