![]() But this one scares me,” Sally Carlson said as she snapped photos of the waves crashing against boats in St. “I’ve been here with other storms, other hurricanes. The Tampa Bay area, with a population of about 3 million, has not taken a direct hit from a major hurricane since 1921. Petersburg area started bracing for the onslaught. Some 400 miles (640 kilometers) north of the Keys, people in the Tampa-St. “I said, ‘Let’s go and live the good life in paradise’,” she said. Gretchen Blee, who moved with her husband to Naples from Long Island, New York, after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 heavily damaged their beach home, took cover in a hotel room as Irma raged. During the afternoon, it rounded Florida’s southwestern corner and hugged the coast closely as it pushed toward Naples, Sanibel, Fort Myers and, beyond that, Sarasota, at 14 mph (23 kph).įorecasters warned some places could see a storm surge of up to 15 feet (5 meters) of water. at Cudjoe Key, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside Key West. “Small boats floating down the street next to furniture and refrigerators. John Huston, who stayed in his Key Largo home, watched his yard flood even before the arrival of high tide. evacuations, nearly 7 million people in the Southeast were warned to seek shelter elsewhere, including 6.4 million in Florida alone.Ībout 30,000 people heeded orders to leave the Keys as the storm closed in, but an untold number refused, in part because, to many storm-hardened residents, staying behind in the face of danger is a point of pride. ![]() While Irma raked Florida’s Gulf Coast, forecasters warned that the entire state was in danger because of the sheer size of the storm. More than 3.3 million homes and businesses across the state lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone. Miami Beach barred outsiders from the island.įort Lauderdale police arrested nine people they said were caught on TV cameras looting sneakers and other items from a sporting goods store and a pawn shop during the hurricane. Flooding was reported along Interstate 4, which cuts across Florida’s midsection.Ĭurfews were imposed in Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and much of the rest of South Florida, and some arrests of violators were reported. Firefighters later took her to the hospital.Īn apparent tornado spun off by Irma destroyed six mobile homes in Palm Bay, midway up the Atlantic coast. No injuries were reported.Ī Miami woman who went into labor was guided through delivery by phone when authorities couldn’t reach her because of high winds and street flooding. A third crane was reported down in Fort Lauderdale. In downtown Miami, two of the two dozen construction cranes looming over the skyline collapsed in the wind. Many streets were flooded in downtown Miami and other cities. The National Hurricane Center said a federal tide gauge in Naples reported a 7-foot (more than 2-meter) rise in water levels in just 90 minutes late Sunday.
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