MIAMI -- Residents in low-lying areas of Miami-Dade County
are not yet under an evacuation order, although Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos
Gimenez said they should be prepared for one with M Irma continuing to move
west-northwest at about 15 miles an hour with wind speeds of up to 185 miles an
hour.
About 470,000 residents live in storm surge zones A and B in
Miami-Dade, where dangerous waves during a hurricane could cause
fatalities.
The A zone includes Key Biscayne and coastal areas in
southern Miami-Dade and north of Miami. The B zone covers Miami's Brickell
Avenue financial district, Miami Beach and other oceanfront cities.
At a late-morning briefing Wednesday, Gimenez said that the
storm was slowing its pace a bit, giving authorities more time to set
preparations in place. He urged those with plans to leave to go early, and
encouraged tourists to shorten their vacations and leave as quickly as
possible.
To the north in Broward County, several evacuation orders
were issued covering barrier islands, mobile homes and areas east of Federal
Highway, which includes big swaths of eastern Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and
Pompano Beach.
Cruise ports and airports in both counties remained open as
of late afternoon on Wednesday. Port
Everglades said it expects the U.S. Coast Guard to issue a 24-hour hurricane
alert by noon Friday, and that the agency would time the closing of the port to
marine traffic "based on the track of the storm."