The photo above shows the current driving conditions in Florida during Hurricane Irma. Photo Credit: NBC News.

 

North – Irma will continue moving inland this week to affect states in the Northeast and Midwest with rain. As the storm moves North, it will weaken from Pennsylvania to Tenessee. Expect intermittent rain storms but not any flash floods.

South – Florida was hit over the weekend with the category 5 Hurricane Irma. The storm had 175 mph winds, and caused tremendous damage to Florida. Florida is still watching for a storm surge, since the sea level is currently rising. This is what will often cause the most damage during a Hurricane, which pushes water to shore causing immense flooding. Currently, Florida has 2.7 properties at risk. Jacksonville was hit hard with over 8 inches of rain, forcing bridges to shut down. The Keys were also badly affected, being labeled as a “humanitarian crisis” by emergency director Martin Senterfitt.

Pompano Beach, where we are headquartered, passed relatively unscathed, thankfully! Even so, there are going to be issues with electricity and Internet throughout the week as Florida Power & Light continues repairs throughout the state. If you have trouble reaching us, please leave a message and all calls will be returned.

The air force and national Guard were called in to airlift people stuck in the storm out of the area. Over 6 million people in Florida are currently without power. One third of Florida residents have already evacuated, leaving 2 thirds of the state’s population to endure the effects of the storm. In Georgia, a state of emergency was called due to flooding from the Hurricane. Nearly 300,000 people have lost power and many flights are cancelled. Irma will also spread from Tennessee to Alabama and Georgia to South Carolina today. Many airports are closed and have no scheduled time for reopening; such as the Miami airport and the Fort Lauderdale airport. Officials do not have a time frame for when it is safe for evacuees to return.

West – California had a severe thunderstorm this week in Palm Springs, which reached record-high rainfall and flooding in California’s West Valley. The flash floods affected major roads and power, but the area now has their electricity back.

Midwest – Weather in the midwest from Ohio to Illinois will be partly cloudy with chances of rain from Tuesday to Wednesday. Hurricane Irma rain and wind will be affecting part of the Midwest from Kentucky to Ohio.