Miami authorities issued an urgent warning to residents living next to construction sites.
The construction cranes are designed to withstand winds from a Category 4 hurricane, but Hurricane Irma, which is set to hit Florida later this week, is a Category 5 storm.
Miami has 20 to 25 construction cranes, Local 10 reported, but none are designed to withstand Irma’s current 180 mph winds.
People living next to constructions sites with these cranes should evacuate, authorities said. Residents of Brickell and Edgewater are especially vulnerable.
The arms of a crane are not tied down even for a hurricane and must remain loose. As a result, these cranes can collapse and damage nearby buildings.
NHC/NOAA
