» HURRICANE IRMA: Live updates
Here’s what you need to know about local impact:
1. STRONG STORM Hurricane-force winds extended 80 miles from Irma's center, tropical storm winds are expected to extend 220 miles, and tornadoes could pop up throughout the duration of the storm. The storm packed 120 m.p.h. winds Sunday as it made its way toward Naples.
More than 6 million people have been warned to evacuate, and at least one person has already died in Florida. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said a man in Monroe County, Fla., was killed after he lost control of a truck he has driving that was carrying a generator.
2. WRIGHT-PATTERSON HELPS OUT Since Thursday, the Wright-Patt flight line has recorded the arrival of 12 F-15 Eagle fighter planes from the Florida Air National Guard in Jacksonville, and four Navy P-8 Poseidon and five P-3 Orion anti-submarine hunting planes from Naval Air Station Jacksonville among a parade of planes expected to grow larger.
“We continue to serve as a safe haven for aircraft,” said Col. Bradley McDonald, Wright-Patterson installation commander. “… There’s a lot of fluidity to this process and requests continue to flow in.”
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3. FLIGHT IMPACTS Atlanta's airport, one of the busiest hubs in the world, is still open but the airport encouraged travelers to check airline's flight statuses. Many flights out of the Dayton International Airport and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport fly to Atlanta as a connection to other flights. Dayton had several flight cancellations and delays today — departures flying to Charlottle, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and St. Petersburg-Clearwater in Florida. Arrivals to Charlottle, Atlanta and St. Petersburg-Clearwater have also been cancelled.
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Today, there have been 580 delays and approximately 3,828 cancellations in the U.S., according to flightaware.com. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had 474 flight cancellations and 38 delays, while Miami International Airport had 367 flights cancelled — still currently shut down after Irma.
4. OHIO NATIONAL GUARD GETS READY As many as 3,500 members of the Ohio National Guard also prepared to be deployed if called on for recovery efforts, according to Stephanie Beougher of the Ohio National Guard. No deployment orders were given by Sunday afternoon. If guard members are sent, they'll focus on assisting law enforcement agencies.
“They [guard members] could possibly help with security and in helping local law enforcement agencies,” Beougher said.
5. OTHER AREAS IMPACTED Irma's path of destruction has spanned much farther than just Florida. The first-ever tropical storm warning was issued for Atlanta early Sunday, and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a State of Emergency statewide later in the afternoon.
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Turks and Caicos sustained “catastrophic damage,” according to government officials, while some of the U.S. Virgin Islands like St. Thomas were left in ruins. Barbuda has been described “barely inhabitable” after the raging hurricane toppled infrastructure, trees and plants while Cuba endured harsh winds and destruction as well.
“This is a life-threatening situation,” said Florida Gov. Rick Scott. “Our state has never seen anything like it.”
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