These Are the First Social Videos of Hurricane Irma Hitting Florida

Since Wednesday, Hurricane Irma has pummeled through the Caribbean islands and Cuba, leaving behind a ground zero for devastation and debris.

With the hurricane now making its way to Florida, the Category 3 storm is picking up speed and images are surfacing on social media. With Irma’s imminent arrival to the Florida Keys for Sunday, officials have been warning everyone all week to get out before the storm hits with an alarming statement: “Get out.”

Monroe County Administrator Roman Gatesi told a CBS News affiliate that Irma is bringing along life-threatening winds with even scarier potential, adding that even the coast guard has evacuated, as have the first responders.

The National Weather Service Key West posted to Twitter as well, urging people to evacuate, stating that nowhere in the Keys is safe now.

Scroll Down to See Some of the First Social Videos of Hurricane Irma Hitting Florida

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Following Gov. Rick Scott’s plea imploring Floridians on Saturday to heed evacuation orders, reports are emerging that Irma’s wrath has set a record for the largest evacuation in U.S. history.

CNN reports more than 5.6 million people are being told to leave their homes before Hurricane Irma strikes the south Florida and the Keys Sunday morning. Scott said residents in the southern coastal areas must leave by midnight or ride out the storm at their own risk as first responders left Saturday morning.

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On Friday, the state’s hurricane program manager, Andrew Sussman told an NBC News affiliate that the total of those urged to flee Florida includes residents throughout the southern half of the state, in addition to those living in inland Florida in substandard housing.

Following the evacuation orders, there has been extremely heavy traffic on all northbound highways, in and around Florida and Georgia.

Miami is expected to withstand the worst of Irma’s ferocity as a Category 4 storm, clocking in more than 160 mph winds or stronger.

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On Saturday, FEMA reported that “millions” might be without power for weeks due to the monstrous storm.

“We could see millions of people without power in Florida for multiple days in some areas, maybe weeks, and so I think it’s very important to set the expectations of citizens,” FEMA chief Brock Long told CNN Saturday night. “This is why we ask and plead with people to be ready for multiple days, and unfortunately this is coming into reality.”

When asked for a specific number of those who might lose power, Long said it’s hard to speculate but the estimates could reach in 5 million.

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The hurricane’s powerful winds and outer rain bands lashed the Florida Keys on Saturday evening as the monstrous storm slowly began rotating from Cuba’s northern coast up into the Florida Strait.

As of 11 p.m. EST on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center reported wind gusts near the hurricane force are occurring in the Florida Keys. With maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, Irma is expected to reinforce its vigor once it moves from Cuba, with the possibility of hitting the U.S. mainland as a Category 4.

Moving with sustained winds of 49 mph with a gust to 62 mph, the NHC tweeted a map of the imminent storm, showing a tropical storm system developing 8 p.m. EST Sunday, going into Monday morning.