MARATHON (CBSMiami) –
[dropcap]E[/dropcap]vacuation orders are being given in the Florida Keys as Monroe County emergency managers prepare for Hurricane Irma.
A State of Local Emergency was declared for Monroe County on Tuesday afternoon.
Traffic is building on the overseas highway as locals and tourists get out of the keys ahead of an evacuation order.
“We’re just evacuating, getting out of town before everybody else does,” said Key West resident Luann Huff.
Huff lives in Key West. She’s heading to Central Florida and she’s not alone on the road.
A combination of three satellite views of Hurricane Andrew: approaching Florida, (August 1992)
“If it stays on this course, then I’m gone,” said Florida Keys resident Cedric Burns. “I’m not going to stay.”
Burns lives in Marathon. His house is ready and he’s gassing up his truck and is ready to leave.
“For the Florida Keys, if you were to create the worst case scenario that is what we are looking at,” said Monroe Co. Emergency Operations Center Director Martin Senterfitt.
The grim outlook prompted Senterfitt to order mandatory evacuations.
