Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Hurricane Irma ‘Could Be Worse’ than Andrew

Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents and visitors during a press conference that Hurricane Irma “could be worse” than Andrew, and not to ignore evacuation orders.

Hurricane Irma has reached maximum sustained winds of 185 mph — with gusts topping 200 mph. The storm is forecast to move north of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Wednesday afternoon, bringing strong winds and heavy rain but not directly hitting the islands. The storm will be approaching mainland Florida and the Keys by Sunday morning.

“We can replace your home. We can’t replace your life,” Gov. Scott said. “Prepare and take care of your family.”

He said mandatory evacuation orders will be issued as the storm barrels toward the state.

“Evacuation orders are going to be given in a timely manner,” he said. “You’ll have plenty of time. But if you wait, then that’s when we’re going to have a problem.”

The governor stressed that Hurricane Irma, a Category 5, is not Hurricane Andrew, which devastated Florida more than two decades ago. In fact, it could end up being far worse.

“We didn’t have this amount of wind with Andrew. Andrew wasn’t as big as this.”

He also stated that he models are forecasting Hurricane Irma to move East and travel up the Florida coast, but that it still “can go anywhere.”

“We don’t know exactly where this is going to hit,” he said. “It sure looks like it’s going to bear down right in the middle of Florida.”

“Even though it moved a little to the East, this thing can go anywhere,” he said. “Even up the West Coast all the way to the Panhandle.”

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