Here’s What Florida Governor Rick Scott Said About Evacuating, and It’s Terrifying

Florida’s Governor Rick Scott recently released a statement on the impending landfall of Hurricane Irma, and the impact of his words is truly terrifying.

As reported by CNN, Gov. Scott said, “If you’re told to evacuate, get out quickly. We can expect additional evacuations as this storm continues to come near our state.”

By emphasizing that citizens should “get out quickly” we can only assume this means officials are preparing for the worst of the worst.

The issue that arises here, however, is that mass evacuations can cause serious traffic jams that lead to highway gridlock which can extend for miles.

This happened with evacuation attempts of hurricanes in both 1999 and 2005.

“Evacuation orders are going to be given in a timely manner so people have time to evacuate. But if you wait, that’s when the problems are going to happen,” the governor continued.

Irma isn’t expected to hit Florida until closer to the weekend, which gives residents of the parts of the state expected to be hit the worst time to pack up and head toward somewhere safer.

The storm is predicted to be a category 4 hurricane when it hits Florida.

“A storm of this size can have effects statewide, and everyone must be prepared,” Gov. Scott said.

Hurricane Irma is considered to be “the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history,” and is expected to hit the continental United States within the next week. Some states are already declaring a “State of Emergency.”

President Trump has declared “State of Emergency” in Florida, as well as Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.

In response to reports that Irma will make landfall in the Southeast U.S. by this coming weekend, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has himself declared a state of emergency in the coastal Georgia counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh.