Hurricane Irma: 'Devastating Major Hurricane' Headed to Florida

MIAMI, FL — Residents in flood-prone areas of Miami-Dade County were told to begin evacuating on Thursday as mandatory evacuations got underway around the Miami area. Mandatory evacuations began in the Florida Keys a day earlier. Irma was still generating sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, keeping the storm at an extremely dangerous Category 5. Meanwhile, a number of South Florida retailers were reporting shortages of bottled water as residents frantically stocked up on hurricane supplies ahead of the massive storm.

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Speaking from the Keys on Wednesday morning, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Irma was a "devastating major hurricane" expected to hit the Florida Keys on Sunday.

"The Florida Keys should be prepared to start feeling the effects of this storm as early as Saturday," he said, noting that the biggest concerns are storm surge and extreme winds. "This storm is bigger, faster and stronger than Hurricane Andrew. We're being very aggressive in our preparation for this storm and every Floridian should take this seriously and be aggressive to protect their family."

He said that state officials are working with retailers to keep fuel pumps supplied as Floridians rush to fill up their cars ahead of the storm.

Kevin Scharfenberg of the National Weather National Weather Service Forecast Office told Patch that Category 5 storms in and of themselves are uncommon. "It’s not the most powerful we've seen but Category 5s are pretty rare," he said. "So this one is a pretty rare one and right now very, very powerful out there." (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Miami Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Irma was still considered a Category 5 storm as of noon Wednesday with no change in sustained wind speeds overnight.

President Trump approved the governor's request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the state of Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma. On Monday Scott declared a state of emergency for all 67 counties and ordered all 7,000 Florida National Guard members to report for duty on Friday morning. Additional guard members will be activated this week as needed and officials are making arrangements with the National Guard Bureau to identify another 30,000 troops, 4,000 trucks, 100 helicopters, and Aero-Evacuation crews if needed.

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The NFL also said on Wednesday that the Miami Dolphins season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will now be played in Miami on Sunday Nov. 19 during Week 11 of the season. The game was scheduled to start at 1 p.m. inside Hard Rock Stadium.

South Florida residents spent the weekend gathering supplies and authorities warned merchants against price-gouging as forecasters tried to pin down the likely path of Hurricane Irma later in the week while the threat to South Florida increased since the Labor Day holiday. Forecasters said that it was not yet clear where or when the storm might make landfall in the U.S. though South Florida grocery stores were being overwhelmed with people trying to stock up on bottled water and batteries.

Forecasters believe the earliest arrival of tropical storm force winds in South Florida would be late Friday but the most likely time would be Saturday morning. The National Weather Service said that the threat from Hurricane Irma has increased in terms of its possible effects on South Florida with potential impacts to be felt from Friday to Monday.

"This is a powerful storm which poses a serious threat to our area," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said on Wednesday. "We will be taking some extraordinary actions to assure that the residents of Miami-Dade County are safe. As I stated before, I would rather inconvenience our residents on this occasion than suffer any unnecessary loss of life if in fact we are hit by Hurricane Irma."

Miami-Dade Schools Superintedent Alberto Carvalho said officials have decided to "err on the side of caution" and would close all Miami-Dade County schools on Thursday and Friday. Similar announcements were made in nearby Broward, Palm Beach, Collier and St. Lucie Counties. Florida International University announced that it would suspend all classes, including online, starting at 11 p.m. Tuesday through the weekend but employees were asked to report on Wednesday.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said that all events on Miami Beach, including a car show, have been canceled ahead of the storm and he urged residents to leave.

"There is no way to fully insulate yourself from a hurricane let alone the most powerful hurricane in the history of the Atlantic," Levine said as he addressed reporters on Tuesday.

In the Florida Keys, the Monroe County School District announced that it will close schools on Wednesday until further notice and the county also ordered a mandatory visitor evacuation at sunrise on Wednesday. Monroe County residents were ordered to evacuate as of Wednesday night.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was also preparing search and rescue teams for potential deployment. All teams that were deployed to Texas have since returned or are in the process of returning.

Powerful Hurricane Is Taking Aim At The US

The Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management is advising residents to stock up on essentials, according to Erika Benitez of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. She suggests that South Floridians also review emergency plans and pay attention to weather reports.

As concern over Irma grew, there was at least one report of people arguing over water in a Florida City Walmart on Tuesday morning.

Shoppers could be seen taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to begin stocking up on batteries and bottled water while a Publix manager told Patch that he had seen higher sales of bottled water but no panic among shoppers over the long weekend.

The atmosphere was decidedly more frantic on Tuesday. In Boca Raton, there were 600 people waiting for the Costco to reopen after Monday's holiday and the large parking lot was still full by mid morning. Motorists were parking at a nearby veterinarian's lot and the line for gasoline stretched to the street entrance along Congress Avenue and beyond as store employees feared they might run out on Tuesday.

"No water, no batteries, no flashlights, no generators," exclaimed McKenzie Montazemi of Delray Beach as she made her way back to her car with a cart full of groceries. She was unable to pick up the bottled water she had hoped to find.

"I wasn't really worried about Hurricane Irma until I walked into Costco," she told Patch. "Then you feel the frenzy." At least the store hadn't run out of wine, she said.

Four people were manning the phones inside the Calusa Veterinary Center next door to Costco as people also looked to stock up on pet supplies ahead of the storm.

"Get your prescriptions filled and make sure you have enough dog food and enough water," veterinarian Andrew Turkell advised. "If your pets are really freaked out, make sure you have something to calm them down."

Meanwhile, the line outside Costco in Kendall was so long that Marisol Valenzuela and her friend Martha had to leave.

"The line is around Costco. I've never seen Costco like that before. I don't even know if there's going to be water," said Valenzuela who found a similar situation at BJs. "They cannot park inside the parking lot. They're parking outside on the street. After this I'm going to Walmart."

In declaring the state of emergency, Scott said that the action would ensure local governments have "ample time, resources and flexibility" to prepare for the storm.

"Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared," the governor said. "I have continued to be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Manage"ent on Hurricane Irma and current forecast models have Florida in Irma’s path — potentially impacting millions of Floridians. Today, given these forecasts and the intensity of this storm, I have declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida to make certain that state, federal and local governments are able to work together and make sure resources are dispersed to local communities as we get prepared for this storm."

Miami-Dade police urged residents to report any cases of suspected price gouging ahead of the storm by calling 866.966.7226.

"Let's be clear," warned Director Juan Perez of the Miami-Dade Police Department on social media. "Price gouging will NOT be tolerated."

Important Planning Tips:

• Place drinking water in containers (milk jugs, large soda bottles) and fill up your bath tub before a storm.
• Fill open plastic containers about 2/3 full of water and freeze. Be careful not to overfill the containers since frozen water can expand and crack the container. Keeping these containers in your freezer will help keep your food cold longer if you lose power.
• In the case of a "Boil Water Order" drink bottled water until you run out then bring your tap water to a boil for one minute. This will get rid of the impurities. Alternatively, you can purify tap water by adding eight drops of unscented bleach to each gallon of tap water or by adding the appropriate number of water purification tablets per the directions.
• If you live in an evacuation area, Miami-Dade Transit will provide free transportation to Hurricane Evacuation Centers in the event of a vacuation. Look for a blue "Bus Pickup Point" sign around your neighborhood or call 3-1-1 for information.
• Use perishable food items first. Throw away any food that you are uncertain about. Also get rid of any food that requires refrigeration if has been at room temperature for too long.
• Combine your resources with family, friends and neighbors.
• Top off your gas tank before the storm. We typically see long gas lines in the days following a storm. Some gas stations may not open at all.
• Two-for-one grocery deals are a great way to stock up on non perishable items ahead of a hurricane. Put one of the items in your pantry and the other your disaster kit.
• Buy generic and buy in bulk if money is tight. Don't forget to buy extra pet food.
• Invest in hurricane shutters. They typically cost about $2,000 for a moderately sized home. But most insurance company offer discounts for homeowners to offset the initial investment. You might also save by avoiding damage to windows, furniture and other household items.

Useful Links:
Florida Get a Plan walks businesses and individuals through the process of creating a hurricane plan. This site was created by the state of Florida's Division of Emergency Management.
Ready South Florida offers a common preparedness message for the South Florida community. This site represents a partnership among Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Broward and Monroe counties.
Miami-Dade Emergency Alerts provides emergency texts and emails in the case of public safety issues as well as recommended public protective actions and other emergency information.
Miami-Dade Snapshot allows residents to submit damage information to the county.
Storm Aides for Everyone (SAFE) shows nearby evacuation centers and disaster assistance.
Miami-Dade County Community Services Applicationshows you where you are located within a storm surge planning zone and determines if you are under an evacuation order.
FIU Storm Surge Simulator illustrates how much of the storm surge (water above ground driven in by the hurricane winds) might impact your home and/or business.
Miami-Dade Hurricane Preparedness Guide is a useful guide published by Miami-Dade County to help you understand what you need to do before, during and after a hurricane. The guide discusses how to do get ready for a storm, what to do in the case of pets and even how to read storm-related warnings and advisories. It also provides you with a disaster kit planning checklist.

The line for gasoline at this South Florida Costco stretched outside the parking lot and along the street on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Irma's possible arrival later in the week. Photo by Paul Scicchitano.