Sept. 10, 2017:
Irma approaches. How bad will it be?
The hurricane hit the Florida Keys around 9 o’clock this morning, bruising the strip with 130 mph winds and pounding rain. To the north, people around Tampa hunkered in shelters and at home, keeping tabs on Irma’s slow, steady push forward.
The anxiety grew all morning, as the storm drew closer to the state’s west coast and battered its eastern flank. TV reporters with microphones stood outside waiting for the tempest and ratcheting up the suspense. Photos and videos littered Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Later Sunday afternoon, Irma made landfall on Marco Island and reached forward to yank the water from Tampa Bay and Clearwater Harbor, a sign that the storm was drawing near and would soon toss it all back. Relatives and friends in other states prayed and anguished over Florida’s fate.
Irma’s reach cut power in St. Petersburg and Tampa, even before the storm took a third pass at Florida after dusk, skirting near Fort Myers. The hope was that the hurricane would weaken slightly before muscling through Tampa Bay overnight. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn agonized over what was to come. “We are ground zero for Hurricane Irma.”
Now, we wait for dawn.
Produced by Lauren Flannery and Eli Murray.