Hurricane Irma: Miami-Dade Orders 146K Plus Evacuations

MIAMI, FL — Saying "this storm doesn’t appear to be going anywhere," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered a mandatory evacuation starting on Thursday for some 146,000 residents who live in beach communities, trailers and flood-prone areas ahead of the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Irma in Florida this weekend.

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During an afternoon briefing Gimenez said he was holding off on mandatory evacuations because the storm seemed to be moving slower than anticipated.

"After receiving a briefing from our experts and emergency planners, I am issuing a mandatory evacuation order for all mobile homes, all of Zone A and the barrier islands of Zone B," said Gimenez in announcing the mandatory order Wednesday night. (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.)

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"We are alerting people 12 hours ahead of time, giving them time to prepare," he said. "The sooner that you can get out the better. This storm doesn’t appear to be going anywhere."

The county opened four shelters at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to accommodate voluntary evacuees from Miami-Dade County and some 2,200 people with special needs, who registered with the county.

"These shelters should be the refuge of last resort for people who truly have no place to go," Gimenez stressed. "We encourage everyone to provide assistance to family, coworkers, friends who are in the evacuation zone."

Communities affected by the mandatory evacuation order include:

• Bal Harbour
• Bay Harbor Islands
• Biscayne Park
• Golden Beach
• Indian Creek Village
• Miami Beach
• North Bay Village
• Sunny Isles Beach
• Surfside
• Key Biscayne

The four shelters that opened on Wednesday are North Miami Beach Senior High School, South Miami Senior High School, Felix Varela Senior High School and E. Darwin Fuchs Pavilion, which is a pet-friendly shelter.

Gimenez said that four more shelters would open on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.

"Each of these shelters are open to any Miami-Dade resident who would like to evacuate," Gimenez added.

Evacuation Zone map courtesy Miami-Dade County