But if the projections for the storm hold, more than three million people on Florida’s west coast will confront storm surges that could inundate whole neighborhoods. As the 260 shelters that opened across the state filled up, at least 70 new shelters were to open in Florida on Saturday. The images of Irma’s rampage through the Caribbean, just after Hurricane Harvey swamped Texas, seemed to accelerate the anxiety. Wielding winds of over 130 m.p.h., that storm passed by the region on Saturday before heading north into open ocean. In Florida, shelters were in high demand and a number of hotels closed on short notice, exacerbating the initial chaos of getting people where they needed to go.

Source: New York Times September 09, 2017 17:58 UTC