Sarasota PD Recalls Officers Amid High Winds

SARASOTA, FL - Those calling 911 in Sarasota may not have a response Sunday due to Hurricane Irma, police said.

The Sarasota Police Department alerted the community that once winds reach 45 mph, emergency officials may be unable to respond to calls for service. Shortly after 5 p.m., police said that winds had reached 45 mph and all officers had been recalled to headquarters.

Miami police delivered a similar message to that community earlier in the day, as Hurricane Irma began to batter the southern tip of the state.

Hurricane Irma officially made landfall in the lower Florida Keys late Sunday morning.

As of 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, Hurricane Irma was 5 miles north of Naples, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and was headed north at 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Also See: What Exactly Is Storm Surge, And Why Does It Have Floridians Worried?

The National Weather Service placed Sarasota under a hurricane warning Sunday afternoon calling for Category 2 hurricane-force winds of 85 to 105 mph with gusts up to 130 mph until early Monday morning.

Weather officials said that southwest Florida may experience fast-moving squalls early Sunday afternoon, increasing in frequency and intensity as Irma spreads north over the Florida peninsula. These storms are expected to affect west-central and southwest Florida until Monday morning.

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Sarasota Police said the department had "all hands on deck" as Hurricane Irma approached. An officer taped off 41st Street at Sarasota Avenue after a power line came down in the area. Photos courtesy of Sarasota Police Department.