Total asked to evacuate Hurricane Irma nears 7M

Kathleen Paca, 56, spray paints “We’re Open Irma” on plywood window protections at the infamous South Beach dive bar Mac’s Club Deuce on Sept. 7, 2017. The word “Irma” covered “Wilma,” the 2005 hurricane when the plywood last was used. Paca and other regulars at the Deuce, as it’s known to locals, had no qualms about staying home as Irma approached, even with the storm projected to be one of the strongest to ever make landfall in Florida. “Where am I going to go?” Paca said. “It’s not going to be that bad. I’m on the second floor and have impact windows. I’ve thrown coconuts at my windows and they don’t break.” (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)

Florida, September 9 – Florida emergency management officials have asked another 700,000 to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma. That brings the total number asked to evacuate multiple states to nearly 7 million.

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management said Saturday that officials have issued a mix of mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders to 6.3 million residents. The number rose overnight as the predicted path of Hurricane Irma has shifted west. It’s likely to come ashore Sunday.

The size and trajectory of the storm has prompted officials to order evacuations along both coasts of Florida, including some of the state’s population centers. Florida is the nation’s third largest state with nearly 21 million residents.

Another 540,000 have been asked to evacuate in the eastern part of Georgia.

In South Carolina, a mandatory evacuation order was issued for eight barrier islands. That includes Hilton Head Island, the most populous of the islands with about 40,000 residents.

Florida, Hurricane Irma

Total asked to evacuate Hurricane Irma nears 7M added by admin on September 9, 2017
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