St. Petersburg, like Tampa, has not taken a head-on blow from a major hurricane in nearly a century. Irma's forward motion slowed to 6 mph (10 kph) as the storm stuttered off the coast of Cuba. Many west coast businesses had yet to put plywood or hurricane shutters on their windows, and some locals grumbled about the forecast. "This is going to sneak up on people," said Jamie Rhome, head of the hurricane center's storm surge unit. Motorists heading inland from the Tampa area were allowed to drive on the shoulder.

Source: ABC News September 09, 2017 23:30 UTC