NOAA Prepares Messaging on Hurricane Irma

Chances are increasing that the Cat 5 storm will directly impact Florida this weekend.

September 06, 2017

WASHINGTON – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is warning that Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm, will bring catastrophic 180 mph wind, storm surge and rainfall hazards to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today. In addition, hurricane watches have been issued for portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as the southeastern Bahamas and Turks Caicos for Thursday and Friday.

The chance of direct impacts from Irma later this week and this weekend is increasing for the Florida Keys on Sunday and portions of the Florida Peninsula, according to NOAA. However, the agency cautions that it’s too soon to determine the timing and magnitude of the impacts, as well as the impacts on the remainder of the United States. The last two Category 5 hurricanes to impact the United States were Katrina and Rita, both in 2005.

Yesterday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued an update on the state’s current hurricane preparedness efforts. Regarding the fueling industry:

  • The state is contacting fuel industry partners (Florida Petroleum Council, Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association), and there are no reported supply, distribution or retail fuel shortages.
  • The state is monitoring fuel assistance requests and has contacted emergency fuel and equipment providers for status of emergency fuel supply and equipment.
  • While the state is working as quickly as possible to bring fuel to communities, as Floridians prepare, the state advises that it’s important to be considerate of neighbors and take only what each family needs to be prepared.

Florida is home to 9,930 convenience stores, with 6,639 of those stores selling gasoline. It’s also the third most populous state at 20.6 million residents.

In addition to Irma, Tropical Storm Jose is forming over the open Atlantic Ocean with 40 mph winds.

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