FEMA head warns people staying in Keys: ‘You’re on your own’

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Brock Long issued a dire warning on Saturday for people choosing to stay in the Florida Keys as Hurricane Irma makes landfall.

“You’re on your own until we can actually get in there, and it’s safe for our teams to support local and state efforts,” Long told CNN’s Rene Marsh.

{mosads}”The message has been clear — the Keys are going to be impacted, there is no safe area within the Keys, and you put your life in your own hands by not evacuating,” he added. 

Long warned that aid most likely not arrive in the Keys in the immediate aftermath of the storm. 

“We are not going to be there right after storm passes. We need to be sure that the roadways are clear, we need to get trucks in to get stuff there. And that’s why we ask people to be prepared for three days, and you know hopefully in these landmark events, citizens will start to take these preparedness measures seriously. All over the country, we’re asking you to be prepared. We cannot be there right after the storm,” he said. 

Long’s comments come as Irma is about to make landfall. Models show the storm ripping into the Keys on Sunday before making its way up the state’s western coast, bringing winds at more than 100 miles per hours. 

Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also stressed the importance of following evacuation orders during a press conference on Saturday. 

“If you have been ordered to evacuate, you need to leave now,” Scott said. 

“Do not wait. Evacuate. Not tonight, not in an hour. You need to go right now.”

Over six million people have been ordered to evacuate for safer areas.