Irma looms as the mythical 'Big One'

Hurricane may be storm long feared in Florida

Northbound traffic, right, on I-75 through Sarasota, Fla., is heavier than normal, but still moving on Thursday. Many South Florida residents are evacuating and heading north as Hurricane Irma approaches. - photo by Associated Press

W irma — Northbound traffic, right, on I-75 through Sarasota, Fla., is heavier than normal, but still moving on Thursday. Many South Florida residents are evacuating and heading north as Hurricane Irma approaches. - photo by Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — They call it the Big One — a mythic, massive hurricane that would obliterate the densely populated southeast coast. And it has long been the stuff of Florida's nightmares.Irma, it appears, could be it. The storm has triggered near-panic in a region of more than 6 million people that includes Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, clustered along a narrow ribbon of coastline that has seen nearly double-digit population growth over the past five years.Isabella Janse Van Vuuren just arrived — she left her home in South Africa two weeks ago to start a job as a stewardess on a yacht, which she and other crew members spent time securing.

Associated Press

Associated Press