As Floridians cleared supermarkets of bottled water and emptied gas pumps, people in the northeastern Caribbean were making last minute-preparations before powerful Hurricane Irma hit their islands.
Late Tuesday, the massive Category 5 storm was almost upon islands like Antigua and Barbuda with near-record 185 mph sustained winds.
The US National Hurricane Center said the extremely dangerous core of Irma would hit the northern Leeward Islands -- which includes Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla -- Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
It's too early to tell whether the storm will make landfall on the US mainland, but forecasts show it could turn toward Florida over the weekend.
Forecasters' most immediate concerns are for the people of the northeastern Caribbean, the hurricane center's Michael Brennan said.
Getting ready in the Sunshine State
While Irma's exact path is uncertain, Florida -- where storm-wary shoppers were standing in long lines outside some stores Tuesday -- is bracing for the storm.
Miami-Dade County will start evacuating special-needs residents on Wednesday, and may announce other evacuations soon, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said.
"I would rather inconvenience our residents" with evacuations than suffer loss of life, Gimenez said.
Schools and county offices are to be closed on Thursday and Friday.
After declaring a state of emergency across Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said President Donald Trump had "offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma."
White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert tweeted that the President had declared emergencies for Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Scott also ordered 7,000 National Guard troops to report for duty by Friday morning. Of those, 100 were activated Tuesday to begin helping with preparations, he said.
"I cannot stress this enough. Get prepared," Scott said at a news conference. "Learn your evacuation zone. Listen to your locals. This storm has the potential to devastate this state. You have to take this seriously."
Near-record winds
