FLORIDA/GEORGIA/THE CAROLINAS
Governors in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas all issued emergency declarations after shifting forecasts raised the threat of Hurricane Irma’s potential to strike the southeastern U.S. coast. On its current charted path, Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in Florida early Sunday morning as a Category 4 storm.
Hurricane Irma could then move on to Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina sometime early next week, according to current forecasts from the National Hurricane Center. All areas have told residents to be on alert.
The storm has the potential to weaken a little on its current path by the time it reaches Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, but it would still likely pass through the area as a dangerous Category 3 storm.
Officials in Miami-Dade County and Broward County in Florida have already ordered evacuations for certain areas. Mandatory evacuations have also been ordered along the Georgia Coast, potentially for Saturday.
The New York Times and other national news outlets continue to offer live updates on Hurricane Irma, which was “churning over the Dominican Republic” at the time of this article's publication and was on its way toward Turks and Caicos. The storm “skirted past” Puerto Rico on Wednesday, according to NBC News, leaving more than one million residents without power. The extent of the damage was still being assessed in Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Visit Florida, Visit Orlando, The Florida Keys & Key West CVB, the Greater Miami CVB and Visit Fort Lauderdale have all posted updates on Hurricane Irma, including the latest safety and evacuation announcements.
- Visit Florida’s Hurricane Irma Weather Alert Page.
- Visit Orlando’s Hurricane Irma Visitor Information.
- Florida Keys & Key West Mandatory Evacuation Update.
- Greater Miami CVB Resources for Hurricane Irma.
- Visit Fort Lauderdale Hurricane Irma Update.
The Visit Savannah website posted a notification directing visitors to chathamemergency.org.
Stay tuned to the Meetings Today website for more updates as they become available. As many news outlets have reported, the path of Hurricane Irma is still unclear, but safety precautions should be taken.
Friday 09.08.17 Update: Ahead of the weekend, Hurricane Irma was forecasted to move in a more westward route than was reported on Thursday. Right now the storm is anticipated to impact much of Florida starting with the Florida Keys late Saturday into early Sunday. Make sure to check the weather reports and follow all emergency precautions. Follow along with the National Hurricane Center for forecast updates. Stay safe out there!
