Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted a warning in all-caps urging all residents of the Florida Keys to evacuate before Hurricane Irma makes formal landfall.
The NWS tweet was dire and dramatic and insinuated the inevitable regarding Hurricane Irma:
“***THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS***
***NOWHERE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE SAFE***
***YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO EVACUATE***
Please RT. #Irma”
***THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS***
***NOWHERE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE SAFE***
***YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO EVACUATE***
Please RT. #Irma pic.twitter.com/VWLMEDWoUs
— NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) September 8, 2017
Hurricane Irma has caused a state of emergency to be declared for Florida, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The hurricane is expected to make landfall late-Saturday as a Category 4 storm.
PLEASE! If you live in the Key’s, time is running out!!! You still have time to evacuate! #Irma is a life threatening storm!!! #FLkeys pic.twitter.com/66fU1ehjES
— NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) September 9, 2017
If you are in the Keys, I am urging you to leave right now. Do not risk your life or the lives of your loved ones- get out now.
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) September 9, 2017