A week after enduring Hurricane Harvey, the Southeastern United States braces for another catastrophic storm. Hurricane Irma is forecast to make landfall over the weekend in southern Florida and hit Miami directly.
In preparation for the storm, the Memphis Tigers were scheduled to play the University of Central Florida a day earlier than originally scheduled. Now Friday's game has been cancelled entirely.
The National Hurricane Center reported Hurricane Irma producing sustained winds at 185 mph and moving west-northwest at 16 mph. Irma, reported by NBC4 Columbus meteorologist David Mazza to be the “size of Ohio,” will also be followed by Hurricane Jose.
With news of these storms breaking, WMC-TV Action News 5 chief meteorologist Ron Childers said the country is indeed in the height of hurricane season.
“This is an exceptionally busy year, but September is the peak month for hurricane activity,” he said. “In recent years there have been multiple storms back to back or working at the same time. However, they have been confined to open waters and not posing a threat to populated areas or the U.S. coast.”
Even though Orlando isn’t along the coast line, Childers said this storm has the potential to be “devastating” for the entire state of Florida.
“Current forecast models bring the system right up through much of the state, and there’s not much to slow it down or weaken the system before it arrives,” he said.
For Florida, heeding what took place in the Houston area last week as a warning will prove crucial, according to Childers.
“The most important lesson to learn from Harvey is the importance of knowing when to evacuate,” Childers said. “When public officials give the order people need to take that seriously. Lives are literally on the line.”
One of those lives belongs to Orlando resident Cody Taylor, an NBA writer for blog Basketball Insiders. He has always lived in Orlando and said he isn’t taking chances with Hurricane Irma.
“I’ve been monitoring the storm throughout the week to see if the path will change or not,” Taylor said. “I went to the store today and stocked up on supplies. I filled up my car with gas and am ready to go.”
Taylor said he is also still searching for water, a task that is not easy before a hurricane hits. Preparing for a storm of this magnitude is tricky because hurricanes tend to change direction, and Taylor said this makes preparing for the storm very difficult.
“I think one of the biggest inconveniences is just the unknown,” he said. “It’s just hard to prepare if you’re not sure what is going to happen, but we have to brace for the worst.”
