NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, SEPT 7 – SEPT 13, 2017 | VOL. 14 NO. 36
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Bracing for
IRMA Spooked by a hurricane that surged to a sustained maximum wind speed of 185 mph on Tuesday as it approached the Leeward Islands, South Floridians are not taking any chances as Hurricane Irma moves west towards Florida. by Garth A. Rose As of Wednesday afternoon, Irma had passed over, or close to, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Marten. It was also on track to pass just north of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. However, although the storm was moving west in the direction of Florida, forecasters were still uncertain where in the state will be impacted. The so-called “cone of uncertainty” included almost the entire Florida peninsula. Both the European and US forecast models had the storm impacting Florida, but it's uncertain if this impact will be to the west or east coast, or middle of the state. Unlike the threat of past hurricanes, where South Florida residents waited until a storm was close to the region before preparing, with the approach of Irma residents have been busy making preparations.
On Wednesday morning, the Publix supermarket in the Hammocks, West Kendall was crowded with shoppers stocking up on water, bread, tin food and other supplies. Jan Cortez, a manager at the store, said that since Monday, the staff has been busy restocking shelves. “Water, bread, and tin foods cannot stay on the shelf. But we
are restocking regularly to meet the demand.” There is also a rush on gas stations as motorists seek to fill their tanks. Several stations in South-West Miami were out of gas on Wednesday morning, but owners gave assurance they would have supplies later in the day. Yvon Rose, says she experienced Hurricane Andrew “first hand in 1992. My house here in West Kendall was demolished with winds that were some 160-miles per hour. This storm has winds of 185 miles per hour and could increase over the Florida Straits, so I am definitely spooked. This could be real bad if it comes at this force.” Nineteen-year-old Morgan Prince has never experienced a hurricane. “However, I have seen the flood damages from Houston and I am scared by the force of Irma. Can you imagine being hit by a car going 185 miles per hour?” Officials at the National Hurricane Center on Wednesday continues on A8 – Irma
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ONE LAST DANCE DOWN MEMORY LANE A3
GUYANA TO VACCINATE THOUSANDS A7
AN ARRESTING BEAUTY BIDS FOR MISS JAMAICA WORLD B3
DEAN BLOWS UP D. BROWN MELODIES B5