Hurricane Irma: Navy Evacuates Over 5,000 Personnel From Florida Base
Carol Adl
NewsPunch.com
September 6, 2017
The US Navy is evacuating thousands of personnel ahead of Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm which is one of the strongest recorded in the state’s history.
Over 5,000 active duty contractors, families and civilians situated at Naval Air Station Key West have received mandatory orders to evacuate.
President Trump has declared a pre-landfall emergency for Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands ahead of the hurricane Irma, which is due to strike Florida over the weekend.
FEMA will be coordinating disaster relief efforts in those areas.
RT reports:
The “mandatory evacuation of non-essential personnel and dependents from NAS Key West to safe haven within 300 miles of Atlanta, Georgia,” was ordered by the Commander of the US Navy Region Southeast, according to Navy spokesman Bill Dougherty.
As Irma passes over Cuba, Dougherty said Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will shelter in place as the storm moves past north of Cuba.
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