Hurricane Irma: Half A Million People Flee South Florida 

More than half a million people have been forced to leave South Florida as they fled the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, emptying towns and crowding highways. Termed as “the greatest evacuation in history” 650,000 people were ordered to leave South Florida on Thursday as Hurricane Irma rocketed toward the tip of Florida and was expected to deal a catastrophic blow this weekend.

A pilot who flew through the eye of Irma at 10,000 feet on Wednesday, said Irma's intensity set it apart from other storms. "Spectacular is the word that keeps coming to mind. Pictures don't do it justice. Satellite images can't do it justice," said US Air Force Reserve weather officer Maj Jeremy DeHart.

Governor Rick Scott warned against complacency, noting the size of the powerful Category 5 storm with winds that peaked at 185 mph (300 kph) “is wider than our entire state and could cause major and life-threatening impacts from coast to coast. Regardless of which coast you live on, be prepared to evacuate.”

Irma's eventual path and Florida's fate depends on when and how sharp the powerful hurricane takes a right turn, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said. "It has become more likely that Irma will make landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane," the Hurricane Center said on Thursday afternoon.

Late Thursday, the National Hurricane Center issued the first hurricane warning for the Keys and parts of South Florida, including some of the Miami metropolitan area home to 6 million people. At least 31,000 people fled the Florida Keys, which could witness wind and rain from Irma as early as Friday night. As people along the Atlantic Coast anxiously watched the devastation unfold, Irma battered the northern Caribbean, killing at least 11 people and leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees.

All schools and state offices were ordered to close Friday through Monday. NASA secured Kennedy Space Center though most of the critical buildings at Kennedy are designed to withstand gusts of up to 135 mph (220 kph). Irma's wind could exceed that if it reaches Cape Canaveral.