Close Encounters Of A Fifth Kind — Cat 5 Hurricane Irma Bears Down On The Land.

Irma Hurricane — Hurricane Irma Marches On Like A Drunken Cyclops.

Button Down The Hatches: This Could Be A Bumpy Ride.

It was 25 years ago that Hurricane Andrew took a massive bite out of South Florida. The devastation left behind — not only did it; literally, changed the landscape — but it also transformed lives and moved demographics around.

Twelve years before Hurricane Andrew hit Miami — the city got beat with the 1980 riots — which stemmed from rampant police brutality and a justice system that turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the cries and pleas for fair play for African-Americans living in the city.

**Three Deaths Blamed On Irma In Barbuda**

Since Andrew; South Florida has been able to dodge the full impact of another super catastrophic storm — until now.

This close encounter of a 5th kind twirling 185-mile per hour wind, AKA Irma put herself on a mission to make history and make Andrew a second tier hurricane standing next to her.

As she, on Wednesday, tasted her expensive appetizer — the tiny Island of Barbuda — before moving on to the main course — South Florida.

Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Irma’s feast would cost an estimated 150 million dollars.

Browne said Hurricane Irma left a trail of “absolute devastation” on Barbuda, the twin Island of Antigua and that the Island is “barely habitable.”

Acting as a greedy Tasmanian devil, Irma is taking bites out of all the side dishes on the table. She has chomped down on Puerto Rico, population 3.4 million, where she’s left over one million residents without power.

Although Irma’s red lipstick, with yellow lining, is showing some missing pieces (wind speed down-graded to 170 from 185 MPH), her appearance still looms large; she now looks like a shirtless pregnant woman with a lopsided belly and an ugly navel wearing tattered blue jeans.

While crossing the Dominican Republic, Irma reached for her power Poles using them like a toothpick, as she drops mouth water from her mouth and food particles on St. Martin, the British and US Virgin Islands.

So far Irma has claimed 14 lives as she continues to move north towards Key Largo, South Miami, and Miami Beach.

Miami-Dade Police shot a man that entered a restricted area at Miami International Airport.

At MIA, several flights have been cancelled due to the hurricane. Airport officials are forcing stranded passengers out of the Airport. They’re telling people who are sleeping on cots that the airport is not a shelter.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered, by authorities, for parts of Dade and Broward counties.

Both Miami-Dade and Broward County bus service will remain in effect until wind speed reaches 39 MPH in South Florida.

Staff Writer: Clinton Franklin