As Hurricane Irma approaches, Florida and Puerto Rico have been placed under a state of emergency after authorities upgraded the storm to a category 5. 

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in all 67 counties in the state to give local governments enough time to prepare for the anticipated high wind speeds. 

“Hurricane Irma poses a severe threat to the entire State of Florida and requires that timely precautions are taken to protect the communities, critical infrastructure, and general welfare of this State,” the executive order read.

The declaration came after the governor of Puerto Rico began to prepare the island for the worst.

"Despite the economic challenges Puerto Rico is facing, the approved budget has $15 million for the emergency fund," Governor Ricardo Rosselló said in a statement.

"There is an increasing chance of seeing some impacts from Irma in the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys later this week and this weekend. In addition, rough surf and dangerous marine conditions will begin to affect the southeastern U.S. coast by later this week," the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

A hurricane classified as a category 5 has sustained winds of 175mph (280 kph) and have a centered about 270 miles (440 kilometers). Irma could dump up to 10 inches of rain, cause landslides, and flash floods in the Caribbean, AccuWeather stated. It will barrel down on the Caribbean first before possibly moving northward to Florida and Georgia and the Carolinas.

Coming off the heels of Hurricane Harvey, Irma is projected to be one of the worst hurricanes in the US history next to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Florida Governor Rick ScottHurricane Irma