Florida Gov. Rick Scott urges evacuation ahead of 'unbelievable, massive, destructive,' 'killer' Irma


Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) continued to issue grave warnings to his state Saturday in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Irma. "I just want to make sure everybody understands this is an unbelievable, massive, destructive storm, and it's a killer," Scott said in a CBS appearance. "This is going to impact both of our coasts. This is a big, big, big storm," he added. "But the storm surge is what really scares me."
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) also urged his fellow Floridians to stay safe in a press conference Saturday. "Don't be the guy that gets killed by the tree," Rubio said, cautioning against reckless outdoor excursions during the storm. "Where you going? Everything is closed. If you don't lose power, that's great. It's a great time to get at home and catch up on Game of Thrones, or whatever it's called."
On Saturday morning, Irma slowed to Category 3 with winds up to 125 miles per hour. The storm began raking through the Florida Keys Saturday afternoon and is expected to move up the Gulf Coast toward Tampa overnight, ramping back up to Category 4 as it goes. More than 6 million Floridians have been ordered to evacuate. Irma could drop as much as 20 inches of rain, producing serious flooding.
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
Can Gen Z uprisings succeed where other protest movements failed?
Today's Big Question Apolitical and leaderless, youth-led protests have real power but are vulnerable to the strongman opportunist
-
The allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria
The Explainer West African nation has denied claims from US senator and broadcaster
-
The best sherries to try this autumn
The Week Recommends The warming tipple from sunny Spain is an underrated cold-weather staple
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read