Police Tell Bradenton Residents to Evacuate Ahead of Hurricane Irma

A police officer cruised through a Bradenton, Florida, neighborhood on Friday, September 8, announcing to residents the area was under a mandatory evacuation order.

At 5 pm Friday, the National Hurricane Center extended the hurricane warning to Manatee County. Manatee County was also under a storm surge watch, according to the Bradenton Herald. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office also tweeted a warning to residents that all waterfront property and mobile homes needed to evacuate.

On Friday, Hurricane Irma had weakened to a Category 4, but was expected to be upgraded again to a Category 5 by Sunday, when it was due to hit Key West. More than five million people had been ordered to evacuate. Credit: Instagram/ruslanastudio via Storyful