<P> For the fifth time in its 45 - year history, the Walt Disney World Resort was completely closed due to the storm . Its theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs were all closed by 9: 00 pm on September 9 . Due to Hurricane Irma, the parks did not open on September 10 or 11 . Other Orlando - area theme parks, including Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando, were also closed . Kennedy Space Center closed until September 13, and weathered the storm with minor damage . </P> <P> By the evening of September 8, hundreds of thousands of Floridians had evacuated, making it the largest evacuation in the state's history . Evacuees caused significant traffic congestion on northbound Interstate 95, Interstate 75, and Florida's Turnpike, exacerbated by the fact that the entire Florida peninsula was within the cone of uncertainty in the National Hurricane Center's forecast path in the days before the storm, so evacuees from both coasts headed north, as evacuees would not be safer by fleeing to the opposite coast . Fuel was in short supply throughout peninsular Florida during the week before Irma's arrival, especially along evacuation routes, leading to hours - long lines at fuel stations and even escorts of fuel trucks by the Florida Highway Patrol . Use of the left shoulder as a lane for moving traffic was allowed on northbound Interstate 75 from Wildwood to the Georgia state line (about 150 miles / ​ 250 km) beginning September 8 and on eastbound Interstate 4 from Tampa to State Road 429 near Celebration for a few hours on September 9 . It was the first time that the shoulder - use plan, which was introduced at the start of the 2017 hurricane season, was implemented by the state for hurricane evacuations . The shoulder - use plan was implemented in place of labor - and resource - intensive contraflow lane reversal, in which both sides of an interstate highway are used for one direction of traffic . </P> <P> Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, which had been criticized for its response to Hurricane Harvey, took special measures to inspect and secure hazardous materials, especially at Superfund sites . </P> <P> Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency initially for all six coastal counties on September 6; however, the state of emergency was expanded to cover 30 counties in southeast and east central Georgia, and Governor Deal ordered mandatory evacuations for all areas east of Interstate 95 on September 7 . Contraflow lane reversal for Interstate 16 took effect on September 9 at 8: 00 a.m. from Savannah to Dublin, Georgia . On September 8, Governor Deal further expanded the state of emergency to cover 94 counties south of the Atlanta metropolitan area, with mandatory evacuations expanded to include the entirety of Chatham County as well as low - lying areas west of I - 95 . In total, 540,000 people on the Georgia coast were ordered to leave . On September 10, the state of emergency for Georgia was extended to cover the entire state, while Atlanta was placed under its first - ever tropical storm warning . </P>

What is the name of the hurricane before irma