Irma: St. Augustine businesses prepare before mandatory evacuations take effect

The entire city of St. Augustine will be under a mandatory evacuation order starting Saturday at 6 a.m.

On Friday, many people were making last-minute arrangements in preparation for Hurricane Irma.

Harry's Seafood Bar and Grill got flooded last year during Hurricane Matthew, forcing it to undergo renovations.

Now Hurricane Irma is threatening to do the same.

That's why every window was boarded up and dozens of sandbags covered the entrance.

Most businesses were closed Friday, with a few exceptions, such as The Bar With No Name, which seems to be keeping its spirits up.

"Just making the best out of a bad situation, trying to draw people in, to get them to have a good time before they got to get out of here," bartender Scott Nemeth said.

Staying positive is a must, especially for a community that is still recovering from another hurricane less than a year ago.

"I know people that, two weeks ago, just moved into their place that they were flooded out from last year," Nemeth said.

As Irma gets closer, Nemeth said he can't help but get the feeling that this is the new normal.

"I definitely think it's something. We're going to have to get used to it and try to figure out a way to just live with it," said Nemeth.

Police will enforce a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. once evacuations go into effect.

Cox Media Group