Published On: Tue, Sep 5th, 2017

Everything You Need to Know as Hurricane Irma Approaches Florida

By: Michael Demyan

UPDATE: FAU has cancelled all classes Wednesday through Sunday. All campuses will be closed Thursday through Sunday. Residence and dining halls will remain open. PBSC will also be closed Thursday through Sunday.

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Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency as Category 5 Hurricane Irma continues to close in on Florida.

As of the 5 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, its 185 mph sustained winds near the eyewall make it the second most powerful storm to ever develop in the Atlantic. While it is not yet certain that the storm will directly hit Florida, the state is already preparing for extreme weather conditions.

“Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared,” Gov. Scott said. “I have continued to be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Hurricane Irma and current forecast models have Florida in Irma’s path – potentially impacting millions of Floridians.”

After the storm reached Category 5 force winds this morning, Gov. Scott also activated 100 members of the Florida National Guard to advise him on necessary resources that are available or are needed across the state before potential landfall.

“I have also directed all 7,000 guard members to report for duty this Friday, however, if resources are needed before then, I stand ready to activate as many guard members needed to support our aggressive preparedness actions,” he said.

If the storm does make landfall in the state of Florida, it is expected to happen sometime on Sunday, however the Palm Beach County School District has announced that schools and district offices will be closed this Thursday and Friday in order for families to prepare. After-school activities have also been cancelled for Wednesday.

Lynn University will also be closed Thursday and Friday. Both Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College have yet to make decisions on cancellations. An email sent to FAU students this morning said that the FAU Department of Emergency Management is continuing to monitor the storm, while PBSC announced that a decision will be made Wednesday.

A statement posted by the City of Boca Raton’s Twitter account says that officials met this morning to begin internal preparations. Meeting and event cancellations as well as other closures are a possibility toward the end of the week.

“As events and meetings are cancelled, facilities are closed and services are temporarily interrupted, we will be notifying you as soon as those decisions are made,” Mayor Susan Haynie said in a statement.

Mayor Haynie also stressed that residents that major yard work, construction or tree trimming should be done after.

Tomorrow morning, Monroe County will begin mandatory evacuations for visitors at 7 a.m. There will also be a mandatory evacuation for residents beginning later that day at 7 p.m.  Monroe County Emergency Management Director Martin Senterfitt does suggest that it would be best if residents in the Florida Keys evacuate as soon as possible.

“If ever there was a storm to take seriously in the Keys, this is it,” he said. “The sooner people leave, the better.”

Evacuations will also begin tomorrow in Miami-Dade County, while county offices will be closed Thursday and Friday.

The City of Boca Raton has posted a hurricane guide at myboca.us/BePrepared so residents can be fully prepared for the storm if it makes landfall. During a storm, you can tune into the city’s radio station on AM 1650 or TV channel 20, as well as stay updated through Facebook and Twitter.

Click here for a list of must-have hurricane supplies.

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