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Checking in with Miami as Category 5 Hurricane Irma barrels toward Florida
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This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

Sep 6, 2017
Listen 6:55
Checking in with Miami as Category 5 Hurricane Irma barrels toward Florida
As Texans in the southeastern part of the state continue to dry out from Hurricane Harvey, residents of the Sunshine State are bracing for torrential rain and gale-force winds as another storm, one that some have described as ‘catastrophic’ and even ‘apocalyptic,’ appears to be plotting a course for landfall in Florida this weekend.
Police officers moor a boat that washed ashore on the Quai de la Darse in Pointe-a-Pitre, on the French overseas island of Guadeloupe, after high winds from Hurricane Irma hit the island.
Monster Hurricane Irma slammed into Caribbean islands today after making landfall in Barbuda, packing ferocious winds and causing major flooding in low-lying areas. As the rare Category Five storm barreled its way across the Caribbean, it brought gusting winds of up to 185 miles per hour (294 kilometers per hour), weather experts said.
 / AFP PHOTO / Helene Valenzuela        (Photo credit should read HELENE VALENZUELA/AFP/Getty Images)
Police officers moor a boat that washed ashore on the Quai de la Darse in Pointe-a-Pitre, on the French overseas island of Guadeloupe, after high winds from Hurricane Irma hit the island.
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HELENE VALENZUELA/AFP/Getty Images
)

As Texans in the southeastern part of the state continue to dry out from Hurricane Harvey, residents of the Sunshine State are bracing for torrential rain and gale-force winds as another storm, one that some have described as ‘catastrophic’ and even ‘apocalyptic,’ appears to be plotting a course for landfall in Florida this weekend.

As Texans in the southeastern part of the state continue to dry out from Hurricane Harvey, residents of the Sunshine State are bracing for torrential rain and gale-force winds as another storm, one that some have described as ‘catastrophic’ and even ‘apocalyptic,’ appears to be plotting a course for landfall in Florida this weekend.

Irma is expected to hit Puerto Rico Wednesday afternoon before moving north toward the Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Cuba Thursday, then making its way toward the southern tip of Florida this weekend.

Mandatory evacuation orders for residents of the Florida Keys have been issued by Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott, who has also declared a statewide emergency. Miami’s mayor has yet to issue any orders for the city to evacuate but has said he could still issue one. Other counties are asking coastal residents and those in low-lying areas to leave now.

How are residents of Miami and beyond preparing? What are local officials expecting the extent of the damage to be?

We talk with a reporter on the ground in Florida for the latest on Irma.

Guest:

Nadege Green, reporter for NPR affiliate station WLRN in Miami; she tweets

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