Irma in Miami: A Personal Perspective

19:00 UTC  Sunday, September 10

Victor Roldan, regional director – Caribbean and Latin America, RMS

I live in Brickell, in the Financial District of Miami, in a condominium block of some 30 stories on Brickell Bay Drive and SE 12th Street, very close to downtown Miami. The block faces the waterfront, four blocks from the Four Seasons, with the Mandarin Oriental just over the water on Brickell Key. This is an area that the insurance industry knows well, with many RMS clients operating their Latin American and Caribbean business from offices in and around a square mile from here.

I have lived in Miami for the past 15 years, and it is a great city. Similar to most Miami residents, I have experienced hurricanes, I know the difference between a hurricane and a major storm, and in my view here from my block some ten floors up, and despite of being 130 miles away from the eye, this is the worst I have ever seen. My family is safe, they are out of the state.

Winds are battering the coast, consistent 100 mph winds, and as of 12:15 am ET (04:15 UTC) today Sunday, the streets were two feet deep in water. Lots of trees have fallen, street lights have been toppled over, high tides are making the situation much worse.

This morning, I managed to take some video footage of the scene around the neighborhood, with flood water levels on the surrounding roads rising to three or five feet in some areas, winds are still range around 70 to 100 miles per hour. The situation will obviously get worse, but I am safe and OK, and looking forward to Irma dissipating very soon.