HERE SHE COMES: Hurricane Irma Strengthens To Category 5 And Appears To Be Headed For Florida • Now The End Begins – Re-Shared and administered by Aaron Halim

HERE SHE COMES: Hurricane Irma Strengthens To Category 5 And Appears To Be Headed For Florida

Meanwhile in Florida, residents took advantage of the Labor Day holiday
to empty many store shelves of drinking water and other supplies in
advance of the storm. Also Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a
state of emergency for the state’s 67 counties to give local governments
“ample time, resources and flexibility” to prepare.

by Geoffrey Grider September 5, 2017

Hurricane
Irma strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm Tuesday as it
roared toward the northeast Caribbean on a path that could take it to
the United States.

EDITOR’S NOTE: It was
almost a year ago that Hurricane Matthew came through Saint Augustine
here in Florida and shut us down for quite some time. Now Hurricane Irma
is threatening to hit us again. So please, as you pray and send support
to the folks in Texas after Harvey, please pray that God will send Irma
up and out to the eastern Atlantic ocean where she will huff and puff
and bother no one. Thank you. 

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Irma
had sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was centered about 270
miles (440 kilometers) east of Antigua. It was moving west at 14 mph (22
kph).

The center said there was a growing possibility that the
storm’s effects could be felt in Florida later this week and over the
weekend, though it was still too early to be sure of its future track:
“Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their
hurricane plan in place.”

Irma’s center was expected to move
near or over the northern Leeward Islands late Tuesday and early
Wednesday, the hurricane center said. The eye was then expected to pass
about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Puerto Rico late Wednesday.

Authorities warned that the storm
could dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, cause landslides
and flash floods and generate waves of up to 23 feet (7 meters).
Government officials began evacuations and urged people to finalize all
preparations as shelves emptied out across islands including Puerto
Rico.

“The decisions
that we make in the next couple of hours can make the difference between
life and death,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. “This is an
extremely dangerous storm.”

Residents on the
U.S. East Coast were urged to monitor the storm’s progress in case it
should turn northward toward Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas.

“This
hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast. It
also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other
governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of (Hurricane)
Harvey,” Evan Myers, chief operating officer of AccuWeather, said in a
statement.

In the Caribbean, hurricane warnings were issued for 12
island groups, including the British Virgin Islands, where the governor
urged people to evacuate the tiny island of Anegada if they could ahead
of the storm.

Vivian Wheatley, proprietor of the Anegada Reef
Hotel, planned to stay behind. She said she would stay in one of the
hotel rooms and take advantage of the generator since there were no
guests.

“We know it’s a very powerful (storm), and we know it’s going to be very close,” she said. “Let’s hope for the best.”

People in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico braced for blackouts
after the director of the island’s power company predicted that storm
damage could leave some areas without electricity for four to six
months. But “some areas will have power (back) in less than a week,”
Ricardo Ramos told radio station Notiuno 630 AM.

The utility’s
infrastructure has deteriorated greatly during a decade-long recession,
and Puerto Ricans experienced an island-wide outage last year.

Both
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands expected 4 inches to 8 inches
(10-20 centimeters) of rain and winds of 40-50 mph with gusts of up to
60 mph.

“This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have
fun with a hurricane,” U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned.
“It’s not time to get on a surfboard.”

A hurricane warning was
posted for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and
Nevis, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and St. Barts,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin islands. A tropical storm
warning was in effect for Guadeloupe and Dominica.

Meanwhile in Florida,
residents took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to empty many store
shelves of drinking water and other supplies in advance of the storm.
Also Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for
the state’s 67 counties to give local governments “ample time, resources
and flexibility” to prepare. source



HERE SHE COMES: Hurricane Irma Strengthens To Category 5 And Appears To Be Headed For Florida • Now The End Begins – Re-Shared and administered by Aaron Halim