RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) – Preparations are underway in Virginia in case the storm shifts our direction.
State officials have been in briefings and planning meetings on Wednesday to prepare for the worst.
If Irma turns up the East Coast, the Hampton Roads area could be in big trouble.
"We've got everybody on alert and as soon as we get a better idea of the path, we will make decisions accordingly," said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.
It will be several days before Virginia would be impacted, if at all. Though Governor McAuliffe says he's meeting with disaster preparedness officials on a plan, McAuliffe said, "number one is public safety, that's the most important thing we can do."
In the meantime, Virginia is helping other states. The Commonwealth already dedicated seven helicopters and 1,800 National Guard to Harvey relief in Texas. Now McAuliffe says he's talking with Florida Governor Rick Scott, promising Virginia's help in any way it can.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also put together a team of first responders from Virginia and sent them to Puerto Rico.
"There's definitely a greater sense of urgency. People who have lived here their whole lives are more scared now than they've ever been before," said Ashley Carver. Carver lives in Puerto Rico with her husband and their baby. She says they tried to hop a flight to the states.
"By the time we looked at flights, everything was either astronomically expensive or sold. So now we're just kind of here, sticking it out."
Irma is hitting Puerto Rico right now and then a couple of days of watching which path it takes next.
The governor's plan to prepare is just to be safe and ready. There is no any immediate threat. We have a long way to go before we know how Irma will impact us, if at all.