Hide from wind and run from water, is the general rule-of-thumb when it comes to hurricanes and storm surges.  Hurricane Irma is no different.  The scope of potential South Florida areas at risk from storm surge is massive.  –Interactive Link HERE– If you are in one of the evacuation zones, don’t wait – head to a shelter as soon as you can.
NBC-2.com is a great resource for residents in SWFL (Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties). They have a very useful “NewsLinks” section – SEE HERE

At 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 22.1 North, longitude 77.7 West. Irma is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/h). A turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Irma will move near the north coast of Cuba through Saturday, near the Florida Keys Sunday morning, and then near the southwest coast of Florida Sunday afternoon.

Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph (260 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is once again a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it approaches Florida.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 924 mb (27.29 inches).

It’s ok to be nervous.
It’s ok to be worried.
The important thing is to stay calm.
Work through each problem using your best judgement.  Step-by-step.  Taking action while you have control over things is more calming than reacting when you have no control.

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