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Visitors Told to Evacuate and Postpone Their Vacation to the Florida Keys for Now

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Tony Maples Photography

 

On the official website for the Florida Keys, beautiful photos of tropical island paradises along the southern tip of Florida litter the front page. But now, a new warning is taking center stage. “Keys Visitor Evacuation in Progress; Resident Evacuation to Begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday,” the alert reads. Those who planned a vacation to the Keys are being pushed away for their safety due to the incoming threat of Category 5 Hurricane Irma.

After Harvey, people should heed warnings about hurricanes seriously, knowing the devastation the storm can bring. And the small islands of the Florida Keys are particularly vulnerable.

“We value our visitors and want them to be safe,” WFAA quotes Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi. “This is the reason why we need them to calmly leave the Keys with plenty of advance notice before the storm may reach our shores. We do hope they will return after the storm passes and we can reopen.”

Of course, Puerto Rico, the Carribean Islands, and the Virgin Islands are also experiencing the wrath of Irma. CNN Traveler has put together a comprehensive list of how travel plans will be impacted by the storm to these areas, as well.

Keep the permanent residents of these locations in your thoughts as Irma approaches.