by Monica Poling
Last updated: 5:29 PM ET, Sun September 10, 2017
After making landfall at Cudjoe Key just after 9:00 AM on Sunday morning, Hurricane Irma is now slowly moving north along Florida's western coast.
The powerful Category 4 Hurricane-which had been downgraded to a Category 3 on Saturday, but strengthened again early Sunday morning-is slamming the state with wind gusts up to 160 kilometres per hour, heavy rainfall and "life-threatening" storm surges.
"Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions," urged the National Hurricane Center in a recent alert. "Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials."
Three people, including a sheriff's deputy, have died, and more than 1.5 million Florida residents are without power, including more than 700,000 in Miami-Dade County and another 450,000 in Broward County-where Fort Lauderdale is located-according to the Florida Disaster website.
Although Miami was originally anticipated to be directly in the path of the eye of the hurricane, a shift has sent the storm barreling along Florida's west coast instead.
The shift could prove to be catastrophic for Florida's western cities, which the Washington Post called "'woefully ill-equipped' to confront a storm of this size." Many Florida residents had originally retreated to Tampa as a safer haven before the hurricane shifted path.
Despite the storm's shift, it is causing chaos around the state. The storm's hurricane-force winds extend up to 130 kilometres from the center while its tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 350 kilometres according to the National Hurricane Center. By comparison, Florida is less than 320 kilometres wide through the main part of the peninsula.
In Miami, storm surges have flooded Brickell, the city's financial center.
Additionally, Miami police are reminding residents that city services are being affected by the high winds and asking residents not to venture out during the storm.
Miami Police warned residents to stay indoors, and looting has been reported in some areas.
As Irma moves away from the Florida Keys, local officials, the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center are urging residents not to be lulled into complacency by diminishing winds.
"Do not venture outside when the calm eye of the hurricane passes over, as dangerous winds will return very quickly when the eye moves away," warned the National Hurricane Center.
"Winds dramatically shift and will do so violently," tweeted the National Weather Service Key West center.
By midday Sunday, Irma's eye had started to move away from the Keys to make its way north. A second landfall is expected later Sunday with meteorologists predicting a possible hit at Naples or Fort Myers. It could then reach Tallahassee by Monday morning.
According to the NBC weather model, meteorologists predict the storm's wind gusts will diminish to 72 kph by the time it reaches Tallahassee. Even so, the storm will continue to move northward, possibly reaching Atlanta by Tuesday morning and even reaching as far north as Nashville by Wednesday morning.
More than 500,000 people in Georgia and 44,000 in South Carolina have also been ordered to evacuate by Sunday evening.
Airports are closed throughout Florida. The Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport has largely closed to commercial traffic, although some Delta flights are operational on a limited basis.
Walt Disney World has announced that it is closing all parks and cancelling all events for Sunday and Monday.
"Resort hotels will remain open, though services and amenities will be adjusted," wrote Disney on its Hurricane Irma update page. Disney also announced that its reservations center will remain closed through Monday.
Florida Governor Rick Scott promised to "make sure every person in the state is taken care of to the extent we can," during an interview with "This Week" (h/t ABC News.) "It's hard to do it during a storm, but as soon as that storm passes, our first responders will be out there doing everything they can to take care of every person in the state."
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