Florida and Puerto Rico are in states of emergency pending the direction of hurricane Irma's path. The Category 4 tropical Storm is threatening to slam in the areas of Florida, British and US Virgin Islands, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Turks and the Caicos Islands. Although Irma's direction is still uncertain, officials of Florida and Puerto Rico are not taking chances but are preparing for when and if the hurricane does hit these areas.
Tropical Storm Irma with 140 mph winds today
Hurricane Irma is now packing winds to up to 140 mph that could intensify when it reaches warmer waters.
Florida Governor Rick Scott is preparing for the storm by declaring his area of responsibility to be in a state of emergency. Scott tweeted to his constituents to responsibly make preparations for Irma's entry and to complete their survival kits. The declaration expedites the preparation for Irma that threatens Florida and its 67 counties, according to CNN.
Governor Ricardo Rosello of Puerto Rico alerted the National Guard about appropriate preparations against the high winds of tropical storm Irma. The National Hurricane Center warned Florida and Puerto Rico after Irma grew into a more threatening force. The storm will also affect the Northern Island Territories and the string of Caribbean Islands that include Antigua, Anguilla, Barbuda, Saint Kitts, Montserrat, Saba, Nevis, St.
Martin and St. Barts, and St. Eustatius.
National Hurricane Agency warn of storm surges
Storm surges rising to around one to six feet in height could inflict damage when Irma starts to lash at islands and low-lying territories and will bring up to 10 inches of rainfall. Irma could potentially escalate and affect Cuba, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas, NBC News reports.
Shoppers were seen in Florida counties wiping out grocery shelves in preparation for the onslaught. Images of bare store shelves are circulating across social media. One of them depicts a poster at a Home Depot indicating a shortage of wing nuts and water jugs.
Hurricane likely to Intensify
CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar says that Hurricane Irma will even get stronger.
The warm waters will aid the intensification of the tropical storm. Irma's storm formation began in the area of Cape Verde Islands in the far Eastern Atlantic.
According to CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller, Cape Verde Storms will most likely intensify into massive hurricanes and tropical storms. Some of the Tropical storms that became massive hurricanes are Hugo, Ivan, and Floyd.
