Hurricane Irma path is ‘worst-case scenario’ for Florida Keys: FEMA chief

WASHINGTON  – The new path forged by Hurricane Irma posed a severe threat to Florida’s west coast and the Florida Keys, the head of the U.S. federal emergency agency said on Sunday, and the storm was bringing tornado watches and warnings around the state.LIVE UPDATES: Tracking Hurricane Irma’s path“This is a worst case scenario for Monroe County, the Florida Keys and the west coast of Florida,” Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told the Fox News Sunday program.WATCH: Scenes from Florida

1:33 President Trump praises FEMA response to Hurricane Irma

• President Trump praises FEMA response to Hurricane Irma
• Video shows how much Miami streets have flooded within 12 hours of Hurricane Irma
• Video captures moment Hurricane Irma topples crane atop Miami building
• Collapsed crane dangles from Miami building after Hurricane Irma topples it
• Tornado appears to form over Fort Lauderdale amid Hurricane Irma
• Hurricane Irma: Police, fire crews unable to respond to emergency calls due to storm
• Hurricane Irma expected to wash out Tampa Bay’s river walk, bring massive storm surge
• ‘Pray for us’: Florida governor hopes for best in candid interview as Hurricane Irma strikes state
• Reporter braves Hurricane Irma near ferocious Miami River
• Hurricane Irma: Only highway out of Florida Keys ‘impassable’
• Sheriff’s Office crew braves rough seas to rescue stranded sailors off Florida coast
• Reporter clutches to tree as strong Hurricane Irma winds nearly blow him away
• Rocky waters from Hurricane Irma makes boats look like bath toys
• ‘Is anybody else freaked out’: News anchor fearful of Irma storm surge

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“Any time you’re in that northeast quadrant as the storm is moving forward, that’s where the maximum radius winds are that define the intensity of the storm,” he said. “That’s where the storm surge is most prevalent and the inland winds are going to be tough.”READ MORE: Hurricane Irma northern eyewall reaches lower Florida KeysIrma, which prompted one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history, is expected to cause billions of dollars in damage to the third-most-populous U.S. state, a major tourism hub, with an economy comprising about 5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product.

0:32 Video captures moment Hurricane Irma topples crane atop Miami building

• Video captures moment Hurricane Irma topples crane atop Miami building
• Collapsed crane dangles from Miami building after Hurricane Irma topples it
• Tornado appears to form over Fort Lauderdale amid Hurricane Irma
• Hurricane Irma: Police, fire crews unable to respond to emergency calls due to storm
• Hurricane Irma: Key West camera captures massive wave knock over storm watcher
• ‘Pray for us’: Florida governor hopes for best in candid interview as Hurricane Irma strikes state
• Reporter braves Hurricane Irma near ferocious Miami River
• Hurricane Irma: Only highway out of Florida Keys ‘impassable’
• Sheriff’s Office crew braves rough seas to rescue stranded sailors off Florida coast
• Reporter clutches to tree as strong Hurricane Irma winds nearly blow him away
• Rocky waters from Hurricane Irma makes boats look like bath toys
• ‘Is anybody else freaked out’: News anchor fearful of Irma storm surge

Previous Video

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Irma was a Category 4 hurricane raging in the lower Florida Keys as of 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), on a path that will take it up Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast near population centers including Tampa and St. Petersburg, the NHC reported. Forecasters also warned tornadoes could form in large portions of the state.READ MORE: Caribbean island paradises grapple with hellish aftermath of Hurricane Irma Irma, which killed at least 22 people as it tore through Caribbean islands toward Florida, has already claimed at least two lives in the state. Emergency responders in the Florida Keys said they pulled a man’s body from his pickup truck, which had crashed into a tree in high winds.