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.
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BREAKING: Officials: 5.6 million people have been asked to evacuate Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma.

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 8, 2017

Everything that can be done outside for myself, my friends and those in my neighborhood is done.  The remaining stuff is interior prep: filling bathtub and trash cans, w/ water etc. and putting the final touches on bug-out bag and emergency response vehicle w/ pets etc, along with enjoying the final days of air conditioning is what remains.
But boy howdy is the media missing the reality.  As usual the national news heads for Miami and Miami Beach; that’s not the only geography for this one.  For those of you interested here’s actual explanations of SWFL tonight.

Massive numbers of east-coasters came to the west coast based on storm path predictions two days ago.  This only exacerbated the fuel shortage south and West of Lake-O.  Seeing officials saying people need to make final evacuations now, just seems silly.  How do these officials  expect people to leave when there’s been little to no gasoline for days?  Weird.
After checking with people within my network, within the rescue/recovery process and actual private business interests, everything is closing tonight at 8:00pm and there are no plans for opening ANYTHING until Tuesday.    That’s approximately 4 days of severe hunkering down.
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“A man that hath friends must shewn himself friendly: and THERE is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

~ Proverbs 18:24

 

Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert gives an update on preparations for Hurricane Irma, recovery from Hurricane Harvey, and takes questions from the press:

We are blessed to have solid leadership in key and critical positions. Tom Bossert represents one of the best.
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Taking a break to cool down in the AC and provide some understanding to the unique challenges the media appears to be missing for Hurricane Irma.
Florida is a long state peninsular 450 miles. In many logistical ways it’s more comparable to an island, with one-way in via land, from the North.
There’s never been a South to North Hurricane experienced or predicted like this.
The closest was Donna in 1960. There’s been massive population growth since then.
South Florida is attempting to evacuate North. Those who already left are running out of gas mid-state. Fuel trucks are needed mid-state to keep that traffic headed north. The fuel trucks headed into the state are stopping mid state, North of Lake O.  Port Everglades is an East Coast distribution hub for fuel via Atlantic side delivery for I-95 and Monroe County.
It is understandable, and entirely necessary; but those south of Lake O (on the West Coast) have been unable to locate consistent fuel supplies since this boxcar effect began two days ago. The state emergency teams are trying to keep the top of the line moving forward. Again, understandable. However, those South of Lake O are stuck without fuel. No-one’s fault, it’s just the way it is.  Millions of people.
Those of you who have been reading here for a few days will note the issues we outlined with a South to North Hurricane that tracks the West Coast of Florida. Unfortunately, the latest forecasts are predicting exactly that. Governor Rick Scott is trying to evacuate the South West Gulf Coast, however the fuel issues noted above are impeding that possibility.
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For those who might not be familiar there’s massive and widespread price gouging taking place right now in “South Florida”.   The predators know how to maneuver around the areas distant from govt offices and checks.  Florida AG Pam Bondi is calling out the individual companies and their franchise holders. THANK YOU.
CTH has had our differences with AG Bondi in the past, but she’s a wolverine on a righteous mission right now – Directly calling out 7-11 stores and Chevron.

Florida is a massive state.  Most of what we are seeing on the news is completely incorrect about “South Florida”.  There’s “south florida” (as defined by South of I-4), and then there’s “south florida” (as defined by Lake O).  There’s a considerable amount of simmering chaos in South Florida south of Lake O.
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The 11:00am Hurricane Center Update shows a slightly weaker Hurricane Irma, with continued likely forecasts slightly West of central Florida.  Mandatory evacuations of barrier islands are now underway on both coasts.  Irma has the potential to be a topography changing event for the Southwest coast line of Florida.
At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 22.0 North, longitude 75.3 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or so with a decrease in forward speed. A turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should move near the north coast of Cuba and the central Bahamas today and Saturday, and be near the Florida Keys and the southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning.

Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 hurricane as it approaches Florida.
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Twenty-five years ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, in the area around Homestead AFB, I gained my first experience at what society looks like when it is stretched, desperate and begins to collapse.
Burning every other house on a cul-de-sac, intentionally, one-by-one, just to provide light to keep the looters at bay, well, lets say that experience is life changing.
When you witness an elderly lady walking, soaking wet, with bread bags on her feet instead of shoes, it also changes your perspective quickly.
There are some things actually worse than devastating hurricanes, one of those things is the aftermath, the anxiety, the behavior, and how desperation manifests in people you might have seen only a week prior at a grocery store. Now that same person is willing to do anything to survive or improve their lot in life, and that’s a scary reality.
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The forecasting for Hurricane Irma is still rather unpredictable. However, the entire southern peninsular of Florida is urged to hurry preparations to completion. As many long time CTH readers will note, I have zero experience with the forecasting but a great deal of experience with hurricane prep, response and recovery.

At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 71.1 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days with some decrease in forward speed. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should continue to move between Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands this evening. The core of the hurricane will then move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two. –ADVISORY LINK–
Maximum sustained winds remain near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is 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 forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.
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The entire state of Florida is still in the forecast cone; with a slight shift eastward. However, the path is very uncertain as all models depend on a right, northward, turn and it’s a guess when/if that turn to the right takes place.
At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.0 North, longitude 68.3 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph (28 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed for the next couple of days.

On the forecast track, the center should pass north of the coast of Hispaniola later today, be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by this evening, and then be near the Central Bahamas by Friday. –ADVISORY LINK–
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