Time has pretty much run out for evacuation from South Florida

[MineralMan]

Everyone's out of gasoline, and northbound highways are already crowded. Those who left earlier in the week were smart. However, it is still possible to make it to the central parts of the state on a single tank of gas. Not comfortable, of course, but getting away from coastal areas should probably be a priority.

Remember, the exact path of this storm is still not yet certain, so if you think the West Coast of FL is out of danger, think again. It would probably be wise to put some distance between you and the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. There's not really any high ground inland, but you can get away from storm surge.

Check your maps and see if you can't find routes that are not Interstate highways. Get inland and north.

[underpants]

1. Nowhere to run

Irma is currently about the same size as the distance from Miami to Tallahassee.

[MineralMan]

3. That is true. However moving away from coastal areas

does provide some help.

[underpants]

5. Yeah. Heard on the radio this morning one woman in Key West

Who said she was considering going south. The south side of Cuba. She must have the means to do it.

[MineralMan]

6. I'd have left the Keys long ago.

I do not understand why people wait until the last minute to make such decisions. I've driven all the way down the keys on the causeway. I'm amazed they haven't implemented reverse flow yet for the southbound lanes. Last video I saw still showed traffic going South. That should have ended as soon as evacuation was announced.

I don't understand any of it. If I lived anywhere in Florida, I would already be somewhere out of the state and to the west by now. I'd have left on Monday or Tuesday, just in case.

[underpants]

7. :-)

[MineralMan]

8. LOL! Well, priorities are priorities, I suppose.

[Dem_4_Life]

18. LOL Before Harvey this was going around Facebook with the caption....

Forgot My Charger!!!

Still cracks me up so funny. Although smart evacuation plans include opening up all lanes of traffic going out. I haven't been watching the news are they doing this in Florida? Are the southbound lanes open to evacuate going north?

[underpants]

19. I'm don't know

I'm at work.

[cwydro]

20. Some people are still working.

Airport workers for example.

[HipChick]

4. Exactly...I went through Andrew

I would not wish that or Irma or anyone..

[mcar]

27. Andrew veteran here too

We moved to W Central FL. I'm nervous but very scared for our SFL brethren.

[nocoincidences]

2. The models have been a lot of help...

[Saboburns]

9. I am sorry but no, its not to late to leave the Keys.

Yes people should have left sooner. Yes the roads are crowded and gas is scarce. The storm is to hit early Sunday morning. And gas tankers and trucks are still delivering gas to South Florida.

That means there is still 72 hours to evacuate. And it is a MANDATORY evacuation. If folks dont have the means (gas, money, vehicle) they need to call, TODAY, to get County and State help leaving. There are Governmental resources available to get people out. But they need to call now, today, not wait until the storm hits.

I just think that it is dangerous and wrong to tell people that it is too late to leave South Florida right now. Rather we should be telling people to get help now, call now, get out now. Because the window to get out and get help is closing rapidly. But it has not closed yet.

[Blue_Adept]

10. If someone reads this here and decides to take that as advice, that's on them

They should be listening to their local news and municipality officials instead.

If they listen to what some folks on a message board say as to their safety amid a massive oncoming storm, they get what they get.

[Saboburns]

11. Very very true

My main point was trying to tell people that there are resources available to help BEFORE the storm hits. I don't think that is very well known or publicized. Most people know about resources AFTER the storm hits.

I just think we need to do a better job letting people know they can get help leaving before the storm hits.

[Blue_Adept]

13. I agree, but...

and I hate to use "but" material...

There's some responsibility on people that live in these areas to know these things as part of what it means to live there. You have to know things if you live in tornado alley, or where there's lots of fires, or for me here in the northeast related to blizzards and freezing conditions in what to do and what resources there are. And with as many hurricanes as this region gets, it's something that they really should have learned long ago. I mean, I'm obviously not talking about new transplants or tourists.

Sadly, it just seems like there's a real lack of curiosity on the part of far too many people and they're just coasting until something big happens and then it's like "WORLD!" happens. There's not much you can do for them.

[roamer65]

16. .

Yes, and they can go to safer shelter.

[IBEWVET]

12. Scott for once in his term is doing good

He has been all over tv telling people to get out, giving out phone numbers to call if you have no way to get out. I don't like him but have to give the devil his due. Now to how he acts after the storm hits, who knows?

[Baitball Blogger]

14. But, they can't get out. No gas.

I'm hearing that Palm Beach is being told to bunker down. High number of seniors live there. I hope I'm wrong.

[mitch96]

17. If you believe Scott

He has Gas tankers coming down and Food trucks also.. We shall see if he comes thru..
m

[joshcryer]

23. He's saying get out to the people who can.

He's making people go to shelters which are going to be impacted badly.

Poor people are going to lose a multitude of cars. And poor people are going to die because they will rather stay at their house than go to a shelter where at least they are with their property.

[joshcryer]

21. Gov Scott should be primaried.

Even if there was enough gas there's no logistical possibility to get 5.5 million people out of Miami. Every time he says "watch and see" he kills someone. Literally someone is dying in a few days because he says "watch and see."

This disaster requires immediate evacuation of Miami and surrounding areas. It requires full government involvement. It requires gasoline to be immediately shipped in via the corps of engineers and given away freely as an incentive to get people to leave. There should be no inbound traffic. Both lanes should be opened for travel with the national guard using it. Using "shoulders" is not a fucking option. There will be a multitude of flat tires as cars use shoulders which have significant debris which will cause issues.

"YOU DO NOT NEED TO EVACUATE," is a lie.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

24. He's termed out as governor but threatening to be our Semator.

Hopefully Bill Nelson is taking good notes.

[joshcryer]

25. Didn't know they had term limits.

He should never be allowed to win an official political position ever again.

His briefings are repeating the same plan that FEMA has provided to all hurricane impacted states since Andrew. You could probably go and find some FEMA plan that repeats the language he uses. His problem is he has no gumption to actually get what needs to be done, done. He's an incompetent idiot. This is an unprecedented storm.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

26. I will say that some need to evacuate but not all.

All would be infeasible at this time even with a massive federal response. The cone covers the entire state and there few roads out of South Florida.

People living on the coasts or in flood areas and in insufficient housing need to evacuate...if not out of state then to a secure location in the area.

People with newer solid concrete homes and shutters and not in flood zones is a judgment call.

[joshcryer]

29. That's fair enough, perhaps I was being overly exaggerating.

But the focus definitely needs to be on the poor people. People with money are leaving. You know they are because they don't want to lose their car and personal items. People without money can't leave and will go to shelters and such, but they will still lose a lot.

[Weekend Warrior]

22. Two things.

Those who left earlier in the week are not necessarily smart, indicating others might be less so smart. They had the ability. The ability most Floridians don't have.

Second, reaching the center of the state from SF might prove to be difficult on a tank of gas. Most of south central Florida is swamp land. They truly need to make it a good ways in order to be reasonably comfortable considering the uncertainty.

[mcar]

28. My little county in W Central FL

has been out of gas since Tuesday. No water, little food. Now our local NS state road (US 41) is backing up as people use it as an alternate to I75.

No gas. This is Rita in Houston scary.