MIAMI – A mandatory evacuation will go into effect at noon Thursday for a portion of Broward County, including those who live in mobile homes or in low-lying areas.
The evacuation is also ordered for people living east of Federal Highway, including the barrier islands.
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Broward County officials will hold a news conference at 11:30 a.m. at the Emergency Operations Center to provide updates ahead of Hurricane Irma approaching South Florida.
Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport remain open at this time, but passengers are advised to check with their airline or cruise line for possible delays or cancellations.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed a declaration of emergency to cope with the threat. He said evacuations of special-needs residents will begin Wednesday, and others might be ordered to head out of town.
Gimenez ordered all county offices to be closed on Thursday and Friday. Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday and all school activities have been canceled from Wednesday night through Friday.
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Neighboring Broward County was coordinating plans for 43 shelters that can accommodate up to 33,000 people, county Mayor Barbara Sharief told reporters. Sheltering operations were expected to begin on Thursday, she said.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the following areas:
- Miami Dade has issued mandatory evacuations for zones A and B. Miami Dade residents can find their zones by clicking HERE.
- Broward County has issued voluntary evacuations of mobile homes and low-lying areas beginning today.
- Collier County has issued voluntary evacuations of Marco Island beginning today.
- Monroe County has issued mandatory evacuations for visitors beginning this morning. Mandatory evacuations for residents will begin this evening.
- Individuals with special needs started being evacuated from Miami-Dade County this morning.
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President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the U.S. government.
Pauline Jackson, a 59-year-old registered nurse from Florida visiting Puerto Rico, said she had tried to leave before the storm but all flights were sold out.
She has a reservation to fly out Friday and is worried about her home in Tampa. "When you're from Florida, you understand a Category 5 hurricane," she said.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Irma would remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as passes just to the north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Thursday, nears the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas by Thursday night and skirts Cuba on Friday night into Saturday. It will then likely head north toward Florida.
The storm is expected to hit Florida sometime Sunday, and Gov. Rick Scott said he planned to activate 7,000 National Guard soldiers by Friday. He warned that Irma is "bigger, faster and stronger" than Hurricane Andrew, which wiped out entire neighborhoods in south Florida 25 years ago.
Experts worried that Irma could rake the entire Florida east coast from Miami to Jacksonville and then head into Savannah, Georgia, and the Carolinas, striking highly populated and developed areas.
"This could easily be the most costly storm in U.S. history, which is saying a lot considering what just happened two weeks ago," said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami.
For a searchable map of Pinellas County evacuation zones, click here.
For a searchable map of Hillsborough County evacuation zones, click here.
For a searchable map of Pasco County evacuation zones, click here.
For a searchable map of Manatee County evacuation zones, click here.
For a searchable map of Sarasota County evacuation zones, click here.
For a searchable map of Hernando County evacuation zones, click here.
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Irma appears increasingly likely to rip into heavily populated South Florida early Sunday. Gov. Rick Scott has declared an emergency and mandatory evacuation orders are in place for parts of the Miami metro area and the Florida Keys. Parts of South Florida were placed under a hurricane watch Thursday.
Forecasters said Irma could rake the entire Atlantic coast of Florida and rage on into Georgia and South Carolina. Georgia's governor has ordered a mandatory evacuation starting Saturday from the state's Atlantic coast ahead of Hurricane Irma. That includes the city of Savannah