Hurricane Irma: Chilling images of Miami Beach turned into GHOST town as tourists flee
HURRICANE IRMA has turned Florida’s iconic Miami beach into a ghost town, as tourists and residents flee the area before the full force of the storm strikes.
Florida official tells people to go as Hurricane Irma moves inland
Hurricane Irma has paved a path of destruction throughout the Caribbean.
At least 14 people have been killed by the deadly storm, which has only just been downgraded from a category 5 to a category 4.
Images have emerged from the US state’s iconic Miami Beach, which has been turned into a ghost town.
Hurricane Irma Florida: Miami Beach has been turned into a ghost town
Usually packed with tourists and residents alike, the area has been all but deserted as people rush to escape the impending carnage.
Supermarket shelves have been cleared out while once-bustling promenades are now desolate.
The sandy shores of Miami haven’t a sunbather in sight.
While many tourists and residents have escaped to safer ground, some have stayed to protect their properties.
Hurricane Irma Florida: Miami Beach has been deserted as the storm approaches
Irma is likely made landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane
Homes and stores have been lined with sandbags, with glass windows barricaded to protect from extreme oncoming winds.
The latest NOAA advisory warns: “Severe hurricane conditions are expected over portions of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys beginning Saturday night.
“Irma is likely made landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane, and bring life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts to much of the state.
“A Hurricane Warning is in effect for southern Florida, the Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee, and Florida Bay, while Hurricane Watches have been issued northward into central Florida.”
Hurricane Irma Florida: Miami hotels and homes have been barricaded and sandbagged
Hurricane Irma Florida: Miami streets have been all but deserted as tourists and residents flee
Forecasters are also warning deadly storm surges of up to 10 feet could lash the coast of the Floridian peninsula and Florida keys.
It will continue to bring life-threatening wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas through Saturday.
Storm track maps show Hurricane Irma is set to hit Florida on Saturday night before tracking up towards Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.