President Trump issued a state of emergency declaration in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in anticipation of Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm as of Tuesday night.
The president’s order allows the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Republican Gov. Rick Scott ordered the mandatory evacuation of the Florida Keys to begin Wednesday morning at sunrise. Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in the state, may also be asked to evacuate.
Scott sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday morning requesting the emergency declaration to unlock federal resources for all 67 Florida counties. The governor also directed all 7,000 members of the Florida National Guard to report for duty Friday. Scott also suspended all toll roads.
The storm is expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is predicted to hit Florida later this week.
Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello declared a state of emergency on Monday.
