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Anyone who didn't obey the evacuation orders in Florida is now going through a truly terrifying experience. And if they still have access to power and internet, they're tweeting about it too. These tweets from Florida as Hurricane Irma hits the southern part of the state will give you just a small taste of what the people there are going through — and if you're not one of the people tweeting, you will be extremely thankful not to be there yourself.
From the extremely strongly-worded warning from the National Weather Service to residents of the Florida Keys to the videos coming out of Florida already, these tweets will each show you another facet of what it's like to have a storm like this raging around you. As the eye of the Category 4 storm draws closer and closer to the Florida Keys, the winds and rain will only get stronger and anyone who decided to stay will be left in an extremely scary situation with no way out until the storm is over. When it's a matter of 130 mile per hour winds, simply staying inside won't shield you from the noise, and may not even shield you from the damage and danger, if you're not in a sturdy enough structure.
To anyone in Florida, stay safe. And to anyone elsewhere, here's what it's like being in Florida right now.
1
The Warning
Official entities don't often issue warnings with quite so much in caps lock, but when it's one of the strongest storms ever recorded, normalcy goes out the window.
2
This Is Only The Very Beginning
This looks pretty much like a normal rainy, windy day, but it was taken well before the stronger parts of the storm started rolling in.
3
Dogs And Storms Don't Mix
This tweet probably came from a place farther north in Florida, where the whipping winds haven't quite made it yet. But if you've ever had a dog, you know that they often have a sixth sense about approaching bad weather.
4
Hurricanes Don't Stop Birthdays
This is far from what baby John's mother must have wanted for him on his first birthday, but at least he's safe.
5
The Charts Don't Look Good
Even if you don't know what exactly low pressure means in a storm, it's pretty clear that high wind gusts are not a good thing.
6
So Heart-Wrenching
Some people had to make some heartbreaking choices in order to save their families, because the hurricane literally left them with nothing else that they could do.
7
This Is A Historic Storm
It's literally been almost a century since the Florida Keys experienced anything like this.
8
What It Feels Like Inside
Unfortunately, it's going to be a while before the winds give up.
10
Shutters Aren't Supposed To Bend
Plantation, Florida, is near Fort Lauderdale, on the other side of the state from where the eye is predicted to go — but it's still not been spared the wind so far.
11
Do Not Follow Their Example
You'd think that in this kind of weather, viewers would understand why their weatherman couldn't report from on the ground.
12
Trees Pose A Huge Threat
Falling trees have the potential to severely damage houses and cars, as many of them will simply be unable to withstand the storm's power.
13
The Boats Never Had A Chance
With rising water and powerful waves, any docked boats never had a chance of surviving the storm intact.
14
Nowhere In South Florida Is In The Clear
Although the storm is now taking a more westerly path, Florida's eastern half will not be spared.
15
Just Look At The Reach Of that Storm
It's going to be hours before Florida gets any relief.
16
Everyone's Visibly Worried
Anyone still in the Florida Keys is in serious danger, and their loved ones are seriously feeling it.
17
It's A Statewide Thing
This might not look like much, but just remember that St. Augustine is almost 500 miles away from Key West, up on Florida's eastern coast.
18
Miami's In The Midst Of It
It has to be some strong wind to make the palm trees bend that way.
19
This Is A Different Sort Of Morning
Boca Raton is that far north of Miami, and it's good to see that people are paying attention to the curfew still in effect.
20
Not Florida, Still Terrifying
Irma is literally so strong that it sucked the ocean water away from the Bahamas — and now all of that is coming towards Florida.
24
More Storm Surge
They don't call the storm surge the most dangerous part of the storm for no reason.
26
Nothing Stands A Chance Against Those Winds
Storm chasers seriously have their work cut out for them today, as this video makes quite clear.
27
That Is An Angry Surf
This is why they ordered all of the evacuations.
Now that Irma's eyewall has just hit the Florida Keys, there are bound to be more and more tweets like this that will let you follow along. For the people tweeting, of course, the primary concern should always be staying as safe as possible.
