Hurricane Irma was the most expensive storm in the history of the U.S. state of Florida.
Irma struck Florida twice on September 10 – the first as a Category 4 at Cudjoe Key and the second on Marco Island as a Category 3. The hurricane weakened significantly over Florida, and was reduced to a tropical storm, before exiting the state into Georgia on September 11.
Preparations for the hurricane began nearly a week before it struck the Keys, beginning with Governor Rick Scott declaring a state of emergency on September 4. With both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the state threatened, record evacuations ensued with an estimated 6.5 million people relocating statewide. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for all Monroe County—though roughly 25% of residents stayed—and portions of 23 other counties. The large-scale evacuation strained roadways, with gridlock reported along Interstates 75, 95, and Florida's Turnpike. A total of 191,764 people sought refuge in public shelters. All major airports saw disruption of services, resulting in the cancellation of 9,000 flights.
The storm's large wind field resulted in strong winds across the entire state except for the western Panhandle. The strongest reported sustained wind speed was 112 mph (180 km/h) on Marco Island, while the highest observed wind gust was 142 mph (229 km/h), recorded near Naples, though stronger winds likely occurred in the Middle Florida Keys. Over 7.7 million homes and businesses were without power at some point – about 73% of electrical customers in the state. Precipitation was generally heavy to the east of the storm's path, peaking at 21.66 in (550 mm) in Fort Pierce. Heavy rainfall – and storm surge, in some instances – caused at least 32 rivers and creeks to overflow, resulting in significant flooding, especially along the St. Johns River and its tributaries. Many homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, including over 65,000 structures in West Central and Southwest Florida alone. Agriculture was also hit hard, suffering about $2.5 billion (2017 USD) in damage. It was estimated that the cyclone caused at least $50 billion in damage, making Irma the costliest hurricane in Florida history, surpassing Hurricane Andrew. The hurricane left at least 84 fatalities across 27 counties, including 12 at a nursing home due to sweltering conditions and lack of power in the hurricane's aftermath.
Blondie's Blessing created a drive and donation drop to help the people of Florida, the community stepped up and we took the supplies to the hardest hit areas where people needed us the most.
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