Hurricane Irma Sept 8, 2017 AM Update

Hurricane Irma Sept 8, 2017 AM Update

Hurricane Irma has weakened to a Category 4 storm with wind speeds of 155mph. The 5am update put the center of the massive hurricane about 550 miles away from the city of Stuart. The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center has the storm running right down the middle of the state, making landfall in the Miami area Sunday morning, and still being a hurricane over Orlando by 2am Monday. South Floridians continue to prepare for Hurricane Irma.

Hurricane Irma is now a Category 4 storm projected to run right down the middle of the state of Florida.

The US Coast Guard has ordered the closing of the Old Roosevelt Draw Bridge in Stuart. The bridge will be shut down today at 2pm. There will be no drawbridge openings or bridge tender on-site. Any large vessels required to navigate the St Lucie River will need to do so prior to the closure. The Hobe Sound Bascule will also be locked in the down position as of 8pm tonight.

There is no trash or recycling services in Martin County today. Please do not put any garbage or yard waste curbside. The Martin County landfill is open until 4pm today. Port St Lucie residents can bring their trash and yard waste to McChesney Park on Cashmere Blvd, and Lyngate Park on Lyngate Drive. Waste trucks will be available at each location to pick up yard waste and trash from 7:30am until 4pm today. Hazardous waste will not be accepted.

Sandbags are available on a first come, first serve basis. Residents can go to the Port St Lucie Public Works Compound on Thornhill Drive. There is a limit of 10 bags per vehicle. Sandbags are also available in Martin County at the South Side of SE Aviation Way. You have to bag it yourself, and there is a limit of 25 per person.

Schools on the Treasure Coast, including all IRSC campuses, are closed today. The school districts made the decision to close Thursday and Friday of this week several days ago. Now Governor Scott has ordered that all schools in the state stay closed through Monday.

Here are some important numbers and websites to remember during the storm. The Martin County Emergency Operations Center has activated their citizen rumor control hotline. The number is 772-287-1652. It will be open from 8am until 6pm until Friday when it will be operational around the clock. You can also get information at Martin dot FL dot US slash hurricane. The city of Port St Lucie also has a hotline. That number is 772-873-6397. There is also a website, City of PSL dot com slash Irma, where information will be updated frequently, including a list of area gas stations with fuel available. Residents of Fort Pierce can check out City of Fort Pierce dot com for updates. The St Lucie County information hotline is 772-460-HELP. And the Florida Emergency Information Line is now active. You can call 1-800-342-3557 or visit Florida Disaster dot org slash info.

State Attorney General Pam Bondi is urging you to use the Price Gouging Hotline if you see stations charging outrageous prices… that number is 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.

Martin County is currently under a voluntary evacuation order, however mandatory evacuations of Hutchinson Island, Jupiter Island, Sewall’s Point, and mobile homes plus homes in low-lying areas will begin at 8am tomorrow morning. Shelters in the county will open at the same time. The five shelter locations are Port Salerno Elementary, J.D. Parker Elementary, Jensen Beach High School, Hidden Oaks Middle School, and Warfield Elementary School. Remember, pets are not allowed at the shelters in Martin County. As of last night the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast still had space to accept pets at no charge. Call 772-223-8822 for more information.

In St Lucie County, mandatory evacuations for both north and south Hutchinson Island, low-lying areas, and mobile homes begins today at 3pm. Shelters in the county will open at 3pm as well. Those shelters include Westgate K8, Central High School, Treasure Coast High School, and the pet friendly shelter at Westwood High School. Any pets must be in crates, and their owners must bring food, water, and litter. The pets must also be up-to-date on their vaccinations.

The special needs shelter in St Lucie County is at the Havert L Fenn Center in Fort Pierce, and it will open this morning at 9am. Anyone who plans to use the special needs shelter must pre-register at St Lucie Co dot gov slash EOC. 7 more shelters will open up in St Lucie County tomorrow morning at 9am. Those shelters include Chester A Moore Elementary, Floresta Elementary, Lakewood Park Elementary, Morningside Elementary, Oak Hammock Elementary, Parkway Elementary, and Samuel S. Gaines Academy. If you plan on going to a shelter bring food, water, blankets, pillows, and medications. Governor Scott did also announce an evacuation hotline. That number is 1-800-955-5504.

Comcast will offer free Xfinity WiFi service across Florida to help residents and emergency personnel during Irma. Comcast will open more than 137,000 Xfinity WiFi hot spots throughout the state for anyone who needs them, including non-Xfinity customers. Residents can visit Xfinity.com/wifi for both indoor and outdoor hotspot locations. People in range of the hot spot can select the “Xfinitywifi” network name and be automatically connected in the future. Xfinity customers can sign in with their usernames and passwords for automatic connection. Non-Xfinity internet subscribers should visit the “Not an Xfinity Internet Customer” section on the sign-in page. From there, non-customers will be able to renew their complimentary sessions every 2 hours through Sept. 15.

BULLETIN

Hurricane Irma Advisory Number 37 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL112017 500 AM EDT Fri Sep 08 2017 …IRMA MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE… SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT…0900 UTC…INFORMATION ———————————————- LOCATION…21.7N 73.8W ABOUT 55 MI…90 KM NW OF GREAT INAGUA ISLAND ABOUT 495 MI…795 KM SE OF MIAMI FLORIDA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…155 MPH…250 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT…WNW OR 285 DEGREES AT 16 MPH…26 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…925 MB…27.32 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS

 CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:  SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for… * Jupiter Inlet southward around the Florida peninsula to Bonita Beach * Florida Keys A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for… * North of Jupiter Inlet to Sebastian Inlet * North of Bonita Beach to Venice A Hurricane Warning is in effect for… * Jupiter Inlet southward around the Florida peninsula to Bonita Beach * Florida Keys * Lake Okeechobee * Florida Bay *

Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas * Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands * Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, and Villa Clara * Central Bahamas * Northwestern Bahamas A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * North of Jupiter Inlet to Sebastian Inlet * North of Bonita Beach to Anna Maria Island * Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas and Matanzas A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for… * Haiti from south of Le Mole St. Nicholas to Port-Au-Prince *

This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials.

A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life- threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

 DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK  At 500 AM EDT (0900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 21.7 North, longitude 73.8 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 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 continue to move westward away from the Turks and Caicos Islands and toward the southeastern Bahamas this morning. The core of the hurricane will then move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two, and be near the Florida Keys and the southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 155 mph (250 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.  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 925 mb (27.32 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND  STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water is expected to reach the following HEIGHTS ABOVE GROUND if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide… Jupiter Inlet to Bonita Beach, including Florida Keys…5 to 10 ft Bonita Beach to Venice…3 to 5 ft Jupiter Inlet to Sebastian Inlet…3 to 6 ft The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. The combination of a life-threatening storm surge and large breaking waves will raise water levels ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS by the following amounts within the hurricane warning area near and to the north of the center of Irma. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Turks and Caicos Islands…15 to 20 ft Southeastern and central Bahamas…15 to 20 ft Northwestern Bahamas…5 to 10 ft Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave…1 to 3 ft Northern coast of Cuba in the warning area…5 to 10 ft WIND: Hurricane conditions are occurring on the Turks and Caicos Islands. Tropical storm and hurricane conditions are spreading across the southeastern Bahamas and will move into the central Bahamas later this morning. Hur conditions are expected in the northwestern Bahamas tonight and Saturday, and in portions of southern Florida and the Florida Keys Saturday night or early Sunday. Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in Florida by Sunday, with tropical storm conditions possible by late Saturday.

RAINFALL: Southern Dominican Republic and southern Haiti…additional 1 to 2 inches. Turks and Caicos…additional 3 to 6 inches. Southern Bahamas and northern Cuba…10 to 15 inches, isolated 20 inches. Southern Cuba…4 to 8 inches, isolated 12 inches. The upper Florida Keys into southeast Florida…10 to 15 inches, isolated 20 inches. Eastern Florida northward into coastal Georgia…8 to 12 inches, isolated 16 inches. Lower Florida Keys…3 to 5 inches. Western Florida Peninsula into much of Georgia…South Carolina…and Western North Carolina…3 to 6 inches. In all areas this rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods and in some areas mudslides. SURF: Swells generated by Irma are affecting Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, and should start affecting portions of the southeast coast of the United States later today and tonight. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office. ——- Next

intermediate advisory at 800 AM EDT. Next complete advisory at 1100 AM EDT. $$ Forecaster Beven NNNN

 

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