Florida governor Rick Scott says all residents should be 'prepared to evacuate' as Hurricane Irma approaches
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said on Friday all 20 million Florida residents should be prepared to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma.
"The storm is powerful and deadly," Scott said in a Friday morning briefing from Palm Beach. "Do not ignore evacuation orders."
"Remember, we can rebuild your home, we can't rebuild your life," he added. "All Floridians should be prepared to evacuate soon."
Florida is gearing up for a direct hit from Irma - a Category 4 hurricane packing winds of over 140 miles per hour - which has already steamrolled several Caribbean islands. Parts of South Florida are under hurricane and storm surge warnings as of Friday morning, with surges of 5 to 10 feet expected.
The storm is expected to travel directly up the middle of Florida, before curving inland towards Tennessee.
"It is wider than our entire state and could cause major and life-threatening impacts on both coasts, coast to coast," Scott said. "Regardless of which coast you live on, be prepared to evacuate."
Scott has ordered mandatory evacuations in Monroe County - where the popular Florida Keys are located - as well as much of Miami-Dade County and other low-lying and coastal counties in the state. The mandatory evacuation order extends to over a million Floridians.
Irma is expected to make landfall early Sunday morning, and Scott has ordered 7,000 National Guard members to duty to assist with rescue and relief efforts.
"Obviously Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States," Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday.
This is a developing story. Find all of Business Insider's latest Hurricane Irma coverage here.