Hurricane Irma: Miami Beach Curfew Imposed

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has imposed a mandatory curfew for the next three nights as Hurricane Irma continues its advance towards the Florida Keys and South Florida.

The curfew is imposed for the next three nights, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, starting from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m.

All businesses will be closed during this period and residents are asked to stay indoors. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Miami Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"This curfew includes all pedestrian and vehicular movement, except for those individuals or entities designated for essential services such as fire, police and hospital services," Levine said in a statement.

Levine cautioned that while the eye of the hurricane is projected to move towards the Florida Keys and the state's west coast, Miami Beach was not in the clear. The storm is expected to bring heavy winds and rain and storm surges of 4-6 feet along with tropical force winds.

The curfew is mandatory and will be enforced by police.

In Miami Beach, a hurricane warning and a storm surge warning is in effect along with a tornado watch.

Photo by David Goldman/Associated Press