“This is crazy,” area resident Bobby Sullivan said. But just behind it, the wood framing of an unfinished, multistory apartment building was apparently undamaged. Since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida also has imposed more stringent rules for the strength of windows, roofs and framing.Īt the Goma Peace Food Store on Tampa Avenue in west Orlando, an aging roof over gas pumps - with heavy steel framing embedded in concrete - was flattened. Restoration by electric utilities may prove to be the most capable ever in the region, even as frustration rose among nearly 94,000 customers without power Saturday in Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, Brevard and Volusia counties. “Through all of this, our community continues to work together to restore and recover.” “As a community we have weathered multiple natural disasters and tragedies over just the last year,” Dyer said. Repairs to power lines along Colonial Drive in Orlando. But as Irma sat directly over that Gulf of Mexico coastal city, there were no hurricane winds there or anywhere over Florida. The National Hurricane Center said then: “… IRMA WEAKENING AS IT MOVES OVER THE WESTERN FLORIDA PENINSULA.” Maximum sustained winds were 85 mph.Īt 3 a.m., the oak in front of Barnes’ home crashed into power lines and a concrete utility pole.Īt 3:30 a.m., Leesburg’s maximum sustained winds reached 48 mph.īy then, Irma was diminishing steadily as it angled north across Interstate 4 near Plant City at 5 a.m., the storm had arrived at Crystal River, 77 miles northwest of Orlando. Monday, the storm’s center crossed Zephyrhills 50 miles southwest of Orlando and well into its Central Florida trek. If(“undefined”=typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper=) Īt 2 a.m. The city’s peak gust hit 30 minutes later at 78 mph. Such gusts happen from time to time with thunderstorms, but with Irma, they would continue in the Orlando area for 14 hours.Īt 1 a.m., downtown Orlando felt its strongest winds a sustained blow of 56 mph. Irma’s center would not reach Central Florida, but the Orlando area was catching the “dirty side,” Tony Cristaldi of the National Weather Service in Melbourne said of its stronger, eastern front.īrief winds of 50 mph or more were kicking up.

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