A Norwegian in Florida says people are nervous and preparing for the worst

An employee restocks bottled water on bare shelves as customers look on at a Publix grocery store, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, in Surfside, Fla. Wielding the most powerful winds ever recorded for a storm in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Irma bore down Tuesday on the Leeward Islands of the northeast Caribbean on a forecast path that could take it toward Florida over the weekend. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Ståle Egenes (31), resides in Tampa, Florida, USA, and has spoken of a chaotic mood in the city of a million residents before Hurricane Irma hits.
‘People are nervous and are preparing for the worst. Shops are empty of water and other necessities. Several gas/petrol stations are also empty for fuel,’ Egenes told NTB news agency.

Florida Governor, Rick Scott, has put the National Guard in emergency preparedness, and declared a ‘state of emergency’ throughout the state. On Tuesday, there were calls from local authorities in Florida Keys to the south of the state, and on
some Caribbean islands, for residents to evacuate.

According to the Miami Herald newspaper, Scott said in a press release on Tuesday night, ’It is important for people in Florida to follow the trajectory of this very dangerous hurricane. Don’t sit and wait for it to arrive, prepare yourself now’.

Irma is expected to hit Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba, before reaching Florida during the weekend.

If the hurricane continues on the same track as the forecasts indicate, it will reach the Florida Strait. The sea temperature’s are so high that the already intense hurricane could become even more furious. Wind speed’s could reach a hundred metres per second.

Queues everywhere

‘There are queues everywhere, and people are stressed,’ said Egenes, who has noticed a greater number of crashes on Tampa’s roads during the past 24 hours.

He believes the reaction in Florida is due to the enormous damage suffered when Hurricane Harvey hit the states of Texas and Louisiana within the past fortnight.

‘We’re going to feel this hurricane, there’s no doubt about it right now,’ said Hurricane Researcher, Brian McNoldy, of the University of Miami.

‘The only questions that remain are how bad will it be, and where will it be?’ he said.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today