It's really the nightmare scenario, but Tampa Bay emergency managers are already game planning for it. As Hurricane Irma moves toward the US, local emergency teams are still setting up in Texas. The last thing they want is to be caught between two storms.
In Texas, come hell or high water is no longer a choice...it's both at once.
And while dozens of rescue crews and volunteer agencies from all over Florida are working non-stop, there's a new hurricane brewing in the Atlantic.
And though it's still too early to tell if Hurricane Irma will impact Florida, emergency managers are confronting the calculus of a "two disaster" response.
"As we look at the requests that come in through the state we also have to look at what we need to keep back just to be prepared if we have to respond to say a hurricane Irma," says Preston Cook Director of the Hillsborough County EOC.
Thursday a coast guard crew of 24 left from St. Petersburg, headed to help out with Harvey recovery efforts.
They join a crew from Clearwater already there, and that's on top of the Salvation Army teams, Duke Energy teams, and hundreds of volunteers from Florida all converging on Texas to help.
And just to be clear local emergency managers say they did not send out more resources than they have available here because their first priority is being ready should a hurricane like Irma become a real threat.
