Hurricane Irma: U.S. Navy Ships Assist In Relief Efforts

NORFOLK, VA—Two Navy ships have departed Naval Station Norfolk Friday to provide aid as Hurricane Irma makes its way toward the U.S.

The assault ship U.S.S. Iwo Jima and transport dock ship U.S.S. New York will provide humanitarian aid, medical support, damage assessment, logistic support and other aid if requested. The destroyer U.S.S. Farragut, which is already "conducting local operations" and the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln will also join the group.

The U.S.S. Iwo Jima had provided support to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew struck in October 2016.

"Many of the crew had similar experiences last year during Hurricane Matthew," said Capt. James Midkiff, Iwo Jima's commanding officer, in a statement. "We will apply lessons learned from our time in Haiti to this event in order to be safer and more efficient this time around."

Watch: Florida Governor, ‘Irma Now Impacting Our State'

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Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in Florida Sunday morning. By early Saturday morning, Irma slammed into Cuba and remained a strong Category 4 hurricane. As of 8 a.m., Irma was located about 225 miles south of Miami, moving west-northwest at 12 mph.

SEE ALSO:

• Hurricane Irma: 'Freight Train' Of A Storm Barrels Toward Florida, Georgia, Carolinas
  
• Hurricane Irma: Will It Reach Virginia?
  
• Hurricane Irma: Virginia Governor Declares State Of Emergency

Forecasters' latest projections show Irma slamming into Florida's west coast before heading toward the Atlanta area. Residents from areas of southern Florida, and coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina have been ordered to evacuate.

Virginia will not see the same devastation as Florida and the Caribbean, but Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Friday as a precaution and to aid states impacted by the storm.

Image of U.S.S. Iowa Jima via U.S. Marine Corps/ by Sgt. Clemente C. Garcia