Getty Brian Alonso and Randy Alonso (L-R) put up shutters as they prepare a building for Hurricane Irma on September 7, 2017 in Miami, Florida.
A man has died in Davie, Florida, after he fell off a ladder while putting up storms shutters in anticipation of Hurricane Irma, which is expected to make landfall as a category 4 storm on Sunday. It is the first death related to the cyclone in the contiguous U.S.
The medical community in Florida has been warning the public to take precautions while putting up storm shutters. During hurricane season, urgent care centers often see patients who have sustained injuries handling the sharp edges of storm shutters, climbing up and down ladders to secure them, or attempting to install the shutters after winds have reached dangerous speeds.
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“Everyone needs to help each other. This is a community storm, not a personal storm,” Dr. Howard Routman told the Palm Beach Post, urging Florida residents to work together to secure their houses from the storm.
Davie is a small town of less than 100,000 located in Broward County, just east of Fort Lauderdale. Portions of Broward County are currently under mandatory evacuation orders, though many county residents will weather the storm at home.