Miami-Dade County residents seem to be heeding Irma prep advice, mayor says

'Get them out of the way now,' Gimenez says of hurricane preps

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Monday night he believes most residents are heeding the advice of officials to be prepared in advance of Hurricane Irma.

"Those things that you can get out of the way now, get them out of the way," Gimenez told Local 10 News in a telephone interview.

He believes that's partly because of the recent devastating flooding in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey.

"I've never seen anything like what happened with Harvey," Gimenez said, referring to the storm sitting on Texas for several days before dissipating.

"That would be a very bad situation for Miami-Dade County or any county in this country," he said.

Gimenez said he doesn't believe that will happen with Irma if it does impact South Florida.

"Most hurricanes don't do that," he said.

The biggest threat for Miami-Dade County, Gimenez said, is storm surge.

"If you do live in an evacuation zone, think about or determine now, if the order to evacuate is given, where are you going to go," Gimenez said.

Asked when he believes residents should put up storm shutters, Gimenez said it remains a "personal decision."

"I wouldn't say that you'd have to put it up right now," Gimenez added.