Page 2 - Josh Halstead News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

It's a very serious occurrence. this storm may jog 50 miles left or right and we may get a direct hit. >> i think back to punta gorda in 2005 with charley, it wasn't expected to hit as hard as it did. what is your message? >> absolutely. if you haven't evacuated, it's probably a little too late. so get to a shelter. listen to all the locals, such as the mayor, what they're telling you to do. >> i wish you the best in the hours ahead. thank you very much. as we wait for conditions on the ground to worsen, and they are going to over the next 48 hours, air force pilots and been flying above the...

People have evacuated. we have 16,000 residents within the evacuation zone. so people are taking this very seriously. >> at this point in an emergency response, what are first responders doing at this point? obviously, they're still trying to encourage people to leave in these last hours or two. >> absolutely. the mayor and i were just talking about that. the first priority is get them out. y if you can, get them to a shelter as quickly as possible. and secondly, the first responders immediately afterwards, what are they going to do? how quickly can they respond? what are the damages to the po...

Just a whisper of the winds to come. many people have left miami beach as hurricane irma approaches. other state, federal, and local people are getting ready to respond when it hits. with me now, someone that has overseen preparations and at times the recovery effort, cnn contributor and former state emergency management director, david halstead. also is josh halstead, mayor of hollywood, florida. first of all, how are things in hollywood? here in miami beach, there's dunes. but in hollywood, there's a beautiful board walk right on the beach. >> a 2 1/2 mile board walk with hundreds of busines...

To get to you. >> after hurricane ivan, we heard 911 calls that were heartbreaking. no ma'am, no, sir, we couldn't get out on the road if we wanted to. but immediately after the storm, that's where the mayor and his team come in very quickly, those first responders get out. >> it's essential to get roads clear. until roads are cleared, you can't do much of anything. >> sure. that counts for first responders, the power company, let alone to people that want to get to a different destination. >> what is your message to folks listening in this area? >> we're watching very closely the forecast tra...