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| Version 20 | Version 21 |
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| Hurricane Irma: Florida told to expect 15ft surges as storm closes in – latest updates | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 8.39pm BST | |
| 20:39 | |
| Hurricane Irma is still crawling its way along Cuba’s north coast en route to south-west Florida, where the Keys jut out directly in its path. | |
| At the southernmost point of the island chain, people are defying the orders to get to shelter in order to take selfies with the crashing waves. | |
| #Irma is less than 140 miles southeast of Key West, moving west at 9mph. Eye showing up on KBYX radar: pic.twitter.com/a2jfVRIAsZ | |
| The webcam is still live at the southernmost point of the Florida Keys https://t.co/tHcuDvjrKz pic.twitter.com/ww56tbmFWj | |
| 8.34pm BST | |
| 20:34 | |
| Florida’s emergency management department repeats the governor’s plea for healthcare assistance around the state: nurses needed. | |
| FLORIDA STILL NEEDS NURSES willing to volunteer their time at our special needs shelters. You can also email HelpFL@FLhealth.gov https://t.co/b8xd1Yc6iw | |
| 8.09pm BST | |
| 20:09 | |
| Jessica Glenza, reporting from St Petersburg, on Florida’s Gulf coast, is with her father Mike – a Florida man for decades and witness to many disastrous storms. | |
| As Hurricane Irma approaches south Florida, the forecasts for Tampa Bay are increasingly dire. And I’m helping my dad board up his house. | |
| We’ve got scrap wood and a box of screws, four of us altogether including a couple friends helping cover the windows of his 1920s shotgun house. | |
| It’s on some of the highest ground in St Petersburg, in one of the only non-evacuation zones, but it’s all relative. Pinellas county, where the city is located, is consistently named one of the locations most vulnerable to climate change related flooding. | |
| “They just said that storm got upgraded to a category seven,” my dad, Mike Glenza, joked as he walked by surveying the available wood. He’s a disabled tow truck driver who lives with his girlfriend, her daughter, around five cats and three dogs. | |
| Dad is a teller of tall tales but also a genuine survivor. Years after he said it happened, dad told me about a misty night he was working on the Skyway bridge between St Petersburg and Sarasota. He slipped on the metal flatbed of his tow truck and slid toward the water, grabbing a chain to keep from falling to his death. | |
| He told me for the first time today, that it’s not the first time he’s survived a hurricane. | |
| In 1969, he was in Gulfport, Mississippi when Hurricane Camille stuck, one of the most intense hurricanes to ever hit the American mainland. He was on a long haul semi-truck trip moving a household of furniture with his father. He was 12. | |
| “We found a little place to stay because the roads were, well they were closing the roads so we had to pull over and find a place. We were on interstate 10 going west to San Diego.” | |
| What was it like in the motel you stayed in? | |
| “Dark, windy, loud, water coming in under the door.” | |
| After the storm when they tried getting out the roads were blocked, covered with feet of sand. | |
| “Some of those little cottages were picked up and moved a couple hundred feet. Boats stacked up. I never seen nothing like that - I was from Tennessee.” | |
| “We eventually made it there, about four weeks later. We sat there a week, then another three or four days, then it took us six days to get out of the carnage toward Texas when it started clearing up.” | |
| What does he think of Irma? | |
| “Irmageddon … I’m hoping Irma goes west.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 8.12pm BST | |
| 7.59pm BST | 7.59pm BST |
| 19:59 | 19:59 |
| Curfews are set to begin at various times this afternoon and evening in south Florida, as authorities try to get people inside before strong winds start turn debris into projectiles and rain becomes blinding. | Curfews are set to begin at various times this afternoon and evening in south Florida, as authorities try to get people inside before strong winds start turn debris into projectiles and rain becomes blinding. |
| Irma is still near the north coast of Cuba, moving about 9mph. | Irma is still near the north coast of Cuba, moving about 9mph. |
| Southbound I-95 in #WPB, 10 minutes before countywide curfew begins. pic.twitter.com/tuWkdQFwFh | Southbound I-95 in #WPB, 10 minutes before countywide curfew begins. pic.twitter.com/tuWkdQFwFh |
| 7.39pm BST | 7.39pm BST |
| 19:39 | 19:39 |
| Irma will regain strength as it moves away from Cuba, with winds predicted of more than 110mph by the time it reaches the Florida Keys early Sunday. | Irma will regain strength as it moves away from Cuba, with winds predicted of more than 110mph by the time it reaches the Florida Keys early Sunday. |
| The latest projections from the National Hurricane Center show the storm moving at about 9mph, with winds of 125mph, still over Cuba’s northern shore. The hurricane has not yet turned north back over warmer waters. | The latest projections from the National Hurricane Center show the storm moving at about 9mph, with winds of 125mph, still over Cuba’s northern shore. The hurricane has not yet turned north back over warmer waters. |
| Irma’s current projected course shows the eye making landfall three times on Florida: first over the Lower Keys, where meteorologists expect devastating storm surges; then over Cape Coral or Fort Myers, in south-west Florida; and finally it is expected to come within range of Tampa Bay, the state’s third most populous city. | Irma’s current projected course shows the eye making landfall three times on Florida: first over the Lower Keys, where meteorologists expect devastating storm surges; then over Cape Coral or Fort Myers, in south-west Florida; and finally it is expected to come within range of Tampa Bay, the state’s third most populous city. |
| Get the latest on #Irma at https://t.co/meemB5uHAR. Strengthening is expected in the coming hours as it moves towards the FL coast. pic.twitter.com/LLkDvYn7dV | Get the latest on #Irma at https://t.co/meemB5uHAR. Strengthening is expected in the coming hours as it moves towards the FL coast. pic.twitter.com/LLkDvYn7dV |
| 7.12pm BST | 7.12pm BST |
| 19:12 | 19:12 |
| Richard Luscombe, reporting from Miami, where he’s met a couple whose future is tied up in a property directly in the path of hurricane Irma. | Richard Luscombe, reporting from Miami, where he’s met a couple whose future is tied up in a property directly in the path of hurricane Irma. |
| In Worthing, West Sussex, more than 4,500 miles away from where Hurricane Irma is churning away, Florida villa owners Rob and Sue Carter nervously click on every internet update and social media post they can find about the monster storm’s projected path and intensity. | In Worthing, West Sussex, more than 4,500 miles away from where Hurricane Irma is churning away, Florida villa owners Rob and Sue Carter nervously click on every internet update and social media post they can find about the monster storm’s projected path and intensity. |
| Their three-bedroom house in Rotonda West, in southwest Florida, is the Carters’ retirement dream, rented out on Airbnb to help pay the bills until Sue retires from her work as an NHS nurse in a couple of years time and can spend more time there. | Their three-bedroom house in Rotonda West, in southwest Florida, is the Carters’ retirement dream, rented out on Airbnb to help pay the bills until Sue retires from her work as an NHS nurse in a couple of years time and can spend more time there. |
| The villa, however, is in the direct path of Irma’s predicted 140mph winds, and also in the middle of a newly declared evacuation zone, which means there aren’t even neighbours to keep the couple updated on the fate of their property. | The villa, however, is in the direct path of Irma’s predicted 140mph winds, and also in the middle of a newly declared evacuation zone, which means there aren’t even neighbours to keep the couple updated on the fate of their property. |
| “It will be a few days at least until we know what’s happened,” Sue Carter said. “Hopefully the storm slows down or turns away, but we’re expecting anything from minor damage right up to where it’s no longer habitable and has to be rebuilt. It’s hard being so far away and not really knowing anything.” | “It will be a few days at least until we know what’s happened,” Sue Carter said. “Hopefully the storm slows down or turns away, but we’re expecting anything from minor damage right up to where it’s no longer habitable and has to be rebuilt. It’s hard being so far away and not really knowing anything.” |
| The Carters take some comfort from the fact their villa - close to the unspoiled beaches and wildlife havens of Venice and Englewood - was built in 2006, two years after Hurricane Charley wrecked large areas of southwest Florida and prompted a tightening in construction codes. The villa has hurricane-resistant glass, a fortified roof and an elevation certificate, meaning it is less prone to flooding than other properties nearby. | The Carters take some comfort from the fact their villa - close to the unspoiled beaches and wildlife havens of Venice and Englewood - was built in 2006, two years after Hurricane Charley wrecked large areas of southwest Florida and prompted a tightening in construction codes. The villa has hurricane-resistant glass, a fortified roof and an elevation certificate, meaning it is less prone to flooding than other properties nearby. |
| But it has also never been tested by a storm of Irma’s magnitude. Evacuees from the Florida Keys seeking sanctuary checked in for only five hours on Friday before looking at Irma’s predicted path and deciding to swiftly move on. | But it has also never been tested by a storm of Irma’s magnitude. Evacuees from the Florida Keys seeking sanctuary checked in for only five hours on Friday before looking at Irma’s predicted path and deciding to swiftly move on. |
| “In a way I’m glad,” Mrs Carter said. “We felt a sort of responsibility for their safety. All we can do is sit and wait and hope for the best. | “In a way I’m glad,” Mrs Carter said. “We felt a sort of responsibility for their safety. All we can do is sit and wait and hope for the best. |
| “The property and all our belongings, they can be replaced. It’s people’s lives that can’t.” | “The property and all our belongings, they can be replaced. It’s people’s lives that can’t.” |
| 6.54pm BST | 6.54pm BST |
| 18:54 | 18:54 |
| In Miami, gusts of strong wind and rain are periodically slamming onto the buildings and streets, but the weather is far from uniform around south Florida as Irma lingers over Cuba. | In Miami, gusts of strong wind and rain are periodically slamming onto the buildings and streets, but the weather is far from uniform around south Florida as Irma lingers over Cuba. |
| Facebook live from Edgewater, Miami as a strong outer band of #HurricaneIrma blew in a few minutes ago: https://t.co/vJWXGeseiD @NBC6 pic.twitter.com/sEIP81iQO5 | Facebook live from Edgewater, Miami as a strong outer band of #HurricaneIrma blew in a few minutes ago: https://t.co/vJWXGeseiD @NBC6 pic.twitter.com/sEIP81iQO5 |
| In Boca Raton, about an hour to the north of the city, people are still on the beaches, testing the intensifying surf. | In Boca Raton, about an hour to the north of the city, people are still on the beaches, testing the intensifying surf. |
| That moment the wave hits...#IRMA @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/Y27FgoHLIk | That moment the wave hits...#IRMA @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/Y27FgoHLIk |
| 6.20pm BST | 6.20pm BST |
| 18:20 | 18:20 |
| What we know so far | What we know so far |
| Hurricane Irma slowed to a category three storm as it crashed across Cuba’s northern coast, lashing towns with 125mph winds and flooding them with intense surges. As of midday local time, the storm was about 170 miles away from Florida, and expected to regain category four intensity. | Hurricane Irma slowed to a category three storm as it crashed across Cuba’s northern coast, lashing towns with 125mph winds and flooding them with intense surges. As of midday local time, the storm was about 170 miles away from Florida, and expected to regain category four intensity. |
| More than seven million people were ordered to flee from their homes in several states, including nearly a third of Florida’s population. More than 50,000 people are in about 300 shelters around the state, counties enacted curfews, and power providers already began to struggle with demand. | More than seven million people were ordered to flee from their homes in several states, including nearly a third of Florida’s population. More than 50,000 people are in about 300 shelters around the state, counties enacted curfews, and power providers already began to struggle with demand. |
| Florida prepared for what its governor called “the most catastrophic storm the state has ever seen”. Irma is forecast to make landfall on the Florida Keys early Sunday morning and then to pummel south-west Florida on a 30-hour journey northward. | Florida prepared for what its governor called “the most catastrophic storm the state has ever seen”. Irma is forecast to make landfall on the Florida Keys early Sunday morning and then to pummel south-west Florida on a 30-hour journey northward. |
| In Florida’s south-west, officials expect storm surges as high as 15ft. “Fifteen feet is devastating and will cover your house,” governor Rick Scott said. “Do not think the storm is over when the wind slows down. The storm surge will rush in and it could kill you.” Large swaths of Florida were given tornado warnings, and the National Weather Service’s Key West station delivered a dire warning: “THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS. NOWHERE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE SAFE.” | In Florida’s south-west, officials expect storm surges as high as 15ft. “Fifteen feet is devastating and will cover your house,” governor Rick Scott said. “Do not think the storm is over when the wind slows down. The storm surge will rush in and it could kill you.” Large swaths of Florida were given tornado warnings, and the National Weather Service’s Key West station delivered a dire warning: “THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS. NOWHERE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE SAFE.” |
| Twenty-five people have been confirmed killed around the Caribbean, including 11 people on French St Martin and St Barts, four in the US Virgin Islands, three on Puerto Rico, two on Dutch St Maarten, one person in Anguilla and a two year old in Barbuda. | Twenty-five people have been confirmed killed around the Caribbean, including 11 people on French St Martin and St Barts, four in the US Virgin Islands, three on Puerto Rico, two on Dutch St Maarten, one person in Anguilla and a two year old in Barbuda. |
| Category-four hurricane Jose threatened landfall in the eastern Caribbean, complicating relief efforts for islands that have only just emerged from Irma’s winds. On Barbuda, where the prime minister estimated 90% of buildings were destroyed, a mandatory evacuation moved people to the larger sister island of Antigua. | Category-four hurricane Jose threatened landfall in the eastern Caribbean, complicating relief efforts for islands that have only just emerged from Irma’s winds. On Barbuda, where the prime minister estimated 90% of buildings were destroyed, a mandatory evacuation moved people to the larger sister island of Antigua. |
| Another storm, Katia, was downgraded to a tropical depression as it pushed onto land from Mexico’s Gulf coast. Two people were killed in a mudslide in Veracruz, according to the AP. | Another storm, Katia, was downgraded to a tropical depression as it pushed onto land from Mexico’s Gulf coast. Two people were killed in a mudslide in Veracruz, according to the AP. |
| 6.03pm BST | 6.03pm BST |
| 18:03 | 18:03 |
| Florida governor Rick Scott, repeating his warnings as much as possible on television and in person to residents, says hurricane Irma will eclipse hurricane Andrew, the devastating 1992 storm, as the most frightening storm in the state’s history. | Florida governor Rick Scott, repeating his warnings as much as possible on television and in person to residents, says hurricane Irma will eclipse hurricane Andrew, the devastating 1992 storm, as the most frightening storm in the state’s history. |
| "This is the most catastrophic storm the state has ever seen." @FLGovScott is issuing urgent warnings to residents: https://t.co/AF15mgMMox pic.twitter.com/IfAbbz6XDB | "This is the most catastrophic storm the state has ever seen." @FLGovScott is issuing urgent warnings to residents: https://t.co/AF15mgMMox pic.twitter.com/IfAbbz6XDB |
| 6.01pm BST | 6.01pm BST |
| 18:01 | 18:01 |
| Jessica Glenza | Jessica Glenza |
| Jessica Glenza, reporting from her childhood home of St Petersburg – now in Irma’s path on the Gulf coast – writes that south Florida’s grocery stores are nearly as barren as the roads and city blocks. | Jessica Glenza, reporting from her childhood home of St Petersburg – now in Irma’s path on the Gulf coast – writes that south Florida’s grocery stores are nearly as barren as the roads and city blocks. |
| At the grocery store shelves are bare of the essentials - bleach, soup, beans, bread. | At the grocery store shelves are bare of the essentials - bleach, soup, beans, bread. |
| Ice deliveries were announced on the loud speaker - with a two bag maximum per person. Cases of water were also limited to two per person. | Ice deliveries were announced on the loud speaker - with a two bag maximum per person. Cases of water were also limited to two per person. |
| As I checked out, a manager went around to cashiers and handed them a letter - “this will get you through any roadblocks or anything”, because they were all on call. | As I checked out, a manager went around to cashiers and handed them a letter - “this will get you through any roadblocks or anything”, because they were all on call. |
| Publix would close in just an hour, and some workers still had to evacuate, some said. | Publix would close in just an hour, and some workers still had to evacuate, some said. |
| In carts, everyone has water, nearly everyone has beer. Phones alarmed - “woo-woo-woo” - continuously with weather warnings | In carts, everyone has water, nearly everyone has beer. Phones alarmed - “woo-woo-woo” - continuously with weather warnings |
| Update: Publix will have store closures in south and central Florida. For full list and details visit: https://t.co/DCoTPsYjT6 | Update: Publix will have store closures in south and central Florida. For full list and details visit: https://t.co/DCoTPsYjT6 |
| 5.48pm BST | 5.48pm BST |
| 17:48 | 17:48 |
| Cuba is suffering the worst of hurricane Irma’s winds and rain right now, as the category three storm tracks its way across land along the coast. In Miami, intermittent gusts and rainfall have given away for the moment, with the storm still over 150 miles to the south. | Cuba is suffering the worst of hurricane Irma’s winds and rain right now, as the category three storm tracks its way across land along the coast. In Miami, intermittent gusts and rainfall have given away for the moment, with the storm still over 150 miles to the south. |
| Irma is expected to regain strength as it heads northward, with a projected course along Florida’s west coast. | Irma is expected to regain strength as it heads northward, with a projected course along Florida’s west coast. |
| Heavy damage reported in #SantaClara #Cuba as #HurricaneIrma impacts the island @Telemundo51 pic.twitter.com/oyBK2rPBlt | Heavy damage reported in #SantaClara #Cuba as #HurricaneIrma impacts the island @Telemundo51 pic.twitter.com/oyBK2rPBlt |
| Downtown Miami is rain and wind-free right now. Also empty. Almost no activity on streets. pic.twitter.com/NjNGv9Bl38 | Downtown Miami is rain and wind-free right now. Also empty. Almost no activity on streets. pic.twitter.com/NjNGv9Bl38 |
| 5.14pm BST | 5.14pm BST |
| 17:14 | 17:14 |
| Scott: 15ft surge predicted, six million told to flee | Scott: 15ft surge predicted, six million told to flee |
| Florida governor Rick Scott is giving another update, now with an increasingly dire forecast for the south-west coast and Tampa. | Florida governor Rick Scott is giving another update, now with an increasingly dire forecast for the south-west coast and Tampa. |
| He warns that in some places storm surges could be 15ft above ground level. “Think about that. Fifteen feet is devastating and will cover your house,” he says. In Tampa, the storm surge is forecast to be five to eight feet. “The typical first story is seven to nine feet. That is a life threatening situation.” | He warns that in some places storm surges could be 15ft above ground level. “Think about that. Fifteen feet is devastating and will cover your house,” he says. In Tampa, the storm surge is forecast to be five to eight feet. “The typical first story is seven to nine feet. That is a life threatening situation.” |
| “Do not think the storm is over when the wind slows down,” he continues. “Local officials will let you know when it’s safe. The storm surge could rush in and it could kill you.” | “Do not think the storm is over when the wind slows down,” he continues. “Local officials will let you know when it’s safe. The storm surge could rush in and it could kill you.” |
| He pleads again with people not to take any chances, especially in evacuation zones or people who live in vulnerable mobile homes. “If you have been ordered to evacuate from anywhere in the state, you need to leave right now.” | He pleads again with people not to take any chances, especially in evacuation zones or people who live in vulnerable mobile homes. “If you have been ordered to evacuate from anywhere in the state, you need to leave right now.” |
| So far 6.3 million Floridians – nearly a third of the state’s population – have been ordered to leave their homes to escape the full force of the storm. | So far 6.3 million Floridians – nearly a third of the state’s population – have been ordered to leave their homes to escape the full force of the storm. |
| “Do not put your life or your family’s life at risk. Right now is the right time to do the right thing for your family.” | “Do not put your life or your family’s life at risk. Right now is the right time to do the right thing for your family.” |
| A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until 12 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/dZUmtYYzZJ | A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until 12 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/dZUmtYYzZJ |
| 5.00pm BST | 5.00pm BST |
| 17:00 | 17:00 |
| Florida officials have asked another 700,000 to leave ahead of Hurricane Irma, the AP reports, meaning that nearly seven million Americans across several states have been ordered to evacuate. | Florida officials have asked another 700,000 to leave ahead of Hurricane Irma, the AP reports, meaning that nearly seven million Americans across several states have been ordered to evacuate. |
| The extraordinary evacuation is the largest in many counties’ histories, and involves a mass exodus from on of the nation’s most populous states. Miami enacted a curfew from 6pm to 9am; Broward county from 4pm until Saturday morning. | The extraordinary evacuation is the largest in many counties’ histories, and involves a mass exodus from on of the nation’s most populous states. Miami enacted a curfew from 6pm to 9am; Broward county from 4pm until Saturday morning. |
| Here is the latest forecast track on #Irma pic.twitter.com/UAlb3rjFSu | Here is the latest forecast track on #Irma pic.twitter.com/UAlb3rjFSu |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.02pm BST | at 5.02pm BST |
| 4.40pm BST | 4.40pm BST |
| 16:40 | 16:40 |
| The National Weather Service is now predicting 10-20in of rain, with 20-25in in the Florida Keys and other particularly vulnerable regions. | The National Weather Service is now predicting 10-20in of rain, with 20-25in in the Florida Keys and other particularly vulnerable regions. |
| The storm will bring “life-threatening winds” all around Florida, the agency says, “regardless of the exact track of the center”. The wind hazards will reach as far north as Georgia and South Carolina over the next day. In the southernmost points of the state, stations are bracing for the worst case scenarios. | The storm will bring “life-threatening winds” all around Florida, the agency says, “regardless of the exact track of the center”. The wind hazards will reach as far north as Georgia and South Carolina over the next day. In the southernmost points of the state, stations are bracing for the worst case scenarios. |
| *ALERT: There is imminent danger of life-threatening, CATASTROPHIC storm surge for SW #Florida. If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately! | *ALERT: There is imminent danger of life-threatening, CATASTROPHIC storm surge for SW #Florida. If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately! |