Florida Official: If You Don’t Evacuate, Nobody Will Be There to Answer Your 911 Call

As Hurricane Irma looms closer, officials are warning that everyone in the Florida Keys should get out before the storm hits.

“Hurricane Irma is a very strong, very dangerous storm that has life-threatening winds and even scarier storm surge potential. Even the Coast Guard is evacuating all of its personnel. Please evacuate,” Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi told CBS.

Florida Governor Rick Scott was also told that first responders would be evacuating the Keys, meaning no one will be there to answer 911 calls, CBS reported.

The National Weather Service Key West Twitter account also posted a message urging people to evacuate saying nowhere in the Keys will be safe.

CBS noted that anyone waiting to evacuate may also have trouble finding place to gas up their cars. According to CBS, there were few gas stations still open in Key West and Marathon as of Friday.

“We keep trying,” Gastesi told CBS Friday. “There is still a small window for people to get out of the Keys before the tropical storm force winds begin tomorrow around noon.”

“Once a dangerous storm starts, don’t dial 911 during it because nobody is going to answer,” he said.