CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Millions of people in the U.S. are now in line for a hit from hurricane Irma.
Irma could force one of the largest evacuations ever in the United states. Already, the storm has wiped out islands in the Caribbean and taken lives.
In Florida, half-a-million people have been ordered to leave for safety as hurricane Irma moves within striking distance of Miami.
The governor of South Carolina is expected to announce today, that thousands of people will have to leave their homes by 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Right now, North Carolina is on stand by and waiting on word from Governor Cooper about evacuations.
However, Governor Cooper did say he is working closely with emergency crews and management across the state to prepare for the impact here.
“We’re preparing resources, we’re putting response crews on standby”, stated Cooper. “We are positioning resources across the state, once we know where the most serious impacts will be.”
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster plans to make an announcement today on closing schools and government buildings.
Ahead of the storm, the state board of elections is urging voters in Charlotte to take advantage of early voting, which ends at one tomorrow afternoon.
Mayor Jennifer Roberts says she is prepared to suspend her campaign to focus on hurricane preparedness and recovery.
Roberts stated, “The city of Charlotte and the safety of our residents comes first. Everything else can wait. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of Irma, and with those still recovering from hurricane Harvey.”
Emergency management, Duke Energy, and other Charlotte agencies are also preparing for the city to take a hit.
Charlotte city Arborist Tim Porter says they are constantly checking city trees for weak branches or cracks.
Emergency management leaders say they learned from Hugo and have their flood crews ready as well as extra fire engines stocked up to respond. Duke Energy is also trimming trees to prevent outages.
The city of Charlotte has agreed to make Eastland Mall site a staging area for Red Cross and others for Hurricane Relief.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is also welcoming evacuees from Irma. The speedway will open it’s rock city campground at seven this morning. Accommodations will be available as long as possible.
