U.S. Navy Begins Evacuations As Hurricane Irma Approaches

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CNN: US Navy to evacuate 5,000 as military preps for Hurricane Irma

(CNN)The US military has ordered the evacuation of over five thousand personnel from a Naval Air Station in Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma.

Irma is now a Category 5 storm and one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Currently, it is threatening to slam into Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with "potentially catastrophic" force on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The military is braced for it to hit the US mainland and the current forecast suggests it could strike Florida over the weekend.

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WNU Editor: This is probably going to be the first of many military evacuations.

Update: Pentagon diverts 2 warships, Marine expeditionary unit for Hurricane Irma relief (Miami Herald).