As Hurricane Irma barrels across the Caribbean toward Florida, Miami Beach residents who refused to join the millions fleeing their State are out walking dogs and surfing in a ghostly city.
Miami Beach, a beachfront barrier island in front of Miami normally teeming with tourists, young families, and beautiful people hoping to be admired, was deserted on Saturday.
Oceanfront restaurants and stores that had rushed with last-minute storm preparations on Friday were closed and boarded up. The wind, which was picking up strength, had knocked branches off some of the palm trees on its iconic promenade.
One daring soul plunged into the choppy sea with his windsurf board — the ocean here is usually as calm as tea in a cup — and rode the waves into the mist.
Aside from a handful of locals venturing out to take selfies in the rain and the occasional jogger, Miami Beach was a ghost town.
Some 6.3 million Floridians were ordered to evacuate the state.
Authorities have warned of possible deadly tornadoes as well as “life-threatening” ocean swells that could be more than 15 feet (4.5 meters) higher than normal -- in a city with no geographic high points.