Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Brock Long told a press conference Friday that Hurricane Irma is “going to devastate the United States.”
Brock told reporters that power will be out for days “if not longer” in Florida. “I don’t know anybody in Florida that’s experienced” what is headed for Florida’s way, he said.
Describing it as a “complex forecast,” Brock said that “anybody from Alabama to North Carolina should be watching this storm very closely.” He also warned that more than 100,000 people may need shelter.
Earlier Friday, Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a category four hurricane, but remains “extremely dangerous,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
“The forecast and direct impacts of this storm have yet to be determined because it’s a very powerful storm, but the nature of the curve and that forecast after 72 hours is going to be the key to see who gets the worst impacts here.”
“It’s not a question of if Florida is going to be impacted, it’s a question of how bad Florida is going to be impacted and where the storm ends up over the next four to five days as it passes inland,” Brock said.
