Garth A. Rose
Spooked by a hurricane that surged to a sustained maximum wind speed of 185 mph on Tuesday as it approached the Leeward Islands South Floridians are not taking any chances as Hurricane Irma moves west towards Florida.
As of Thursday morning, Irma had passed over several Caribbean islands, including Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Martin, and Puerto Rico, It was also on a track to pass just north of Hispaniola home of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. However, although the storm was moving west in the direction of Florida forecasters were still uncertain where in the state will be impacted.
All of Florida in Irma’s forecast cone
The so-called “cone of uncertainty” on Thursday included almost the entire Florida peninsula. Both the European and the US forecast models had the storm impacting Florida, but it’s uncertain if this impact will be to the west or east coast, or up the middle of the state.
Unlike the threat of other hurricanes in past years, where South Florida residents waited until a storm was close to the region before preparing, with the approach of Irma residents have been very busy making preparations.
On Thursday morning, the Publix supermarket in the Hammocks, West Kendall was crowded with shoppers stocking up on water, bread, tin food and other supplies. Jan Cortez a manager at the store said that since Monday, the staff has been busy restocking shelves. “Water, bread, and tin foods cannot stay on the shelf. But we are restocking regularly to meet the demand.”
Great demand for gasoline
There is also a rush on gas stations as motorists seek to fill up their thanks before the storm reaches South Florida. Several stations in South-West Miami was out of gas on Thursday morning, but their owners gave assurance they would have gas by later in the day.
Yvon Rose, says she experienced Hurricane Andrew “first hand in 1992. My House here in West Kendall was demolished with winds that were some 160-miles per hour. This storm has winds of 185 miles per hour and could increase over the Florida Straits, so I am definitely spooked. This could be really bad if it comes at this force.”
“Imagine hit by a car at 185 mph”
Nineteen- year-old Morgan Prince has never experienced a hurricane. “However, I have seen the flood damages from Houston and I am scared by the force of Irma. Can you imagine being hit by a car going 185 miles per hour.”
Officials at the National Hurricane Center on Thursday cited a slight shift of the storm to the right, or east, which would keep it over the warm ocean waters as it approaches South Florida. This could intensify the storm’s strength. This could also take the storm over or close to the east of Miami-Dade County.
While Thursday’s track shift to the right could be bad news for South Florida’s densely developed east coast, NHC forecasters are still seeking a consistent pattern in the various forecast models. They say it’s still too early to base projections on any single model.
Storms winds extend 175 miles
However, because Irma is so wide, having Hurricane winds extending 60 miles in each direction from the center, and tropical storm winds extending 175 miles, South Florida and other regions in Florida is expected to experience some impact if the storm tracks close to the east or west coast, and definitely if it comes on shore
The NHC has indicated “Florida could begin feeling tropical storm force winds as early as Friday, with hurricane conditions moving across the state over the weekend.”
Forecasters are calling for Irma to remain a dangerous Category 4 (winds between 135 – 156 mph) or Category 5 (winds over 156 mph) for the next three, “bur should weaken as it approaches Florida.”
