A Halifax woman who moved to Florida two weeks ago says she is preparing for the worst as Hurricane Irma bears down on the southern United States. 

So far, the Category 5 hurricane’s destruction has been swift and widespread. The 200 km/h winds will soon blow through mainland Florida, where evacuee Jacqueline Connors is preparing for the worst.   

“Everywhere was out of gas. Everywhere was out of water. They were broadcasting when people would be getting shipments in, and as quickly as they'd come in they'd be gone again,” Connors says. “We weren't able to track down a gas can for the last two days, so we were concerned if we got stuck in traffic on the highway, we could run out of gas.”

Connors says she and her husband packed up their belongings Thursday morning and fled to Atlanta, knowing they may never see their new house again.

“There’s a chance we may or may not go back,” Connors says. “If those bridges are wiped out, it could be months. We might not have anything to go back to, so we might have to start over again.”

But help is on the way for Connors and others like her. Both the Canadian navy and Canadian Red Cross are preparing for the possibility that they will head down to the hurricane zones.

“When the hospital deploys, it typically will leave immediately with a set up team, and then the other medical team will come together quite quickly after that,” says Canadian Red Cross spokesperson Dan Bedell. “If we were asked to send that, typically it's in the air within 24 to 48 hours.”

Along with a field hospital and medical personnel, the Red Cross has cots, blankets, and cleaning kits to help with disaster relief. They've also started a fundraising effort after Nova Scotia residents called in, asking how they could help.

“People have already expressed interest,” Bedell says. “They're seeing the damage, they know it's going to be a costly and long-term recovery effort.”

HMCS St. John's is fully prepared to deploy if requested. On Thursday, crews were busy moving pallets from HMCS Montreal onto the frigate.

K-Line Construction Ltd. near Woodstock, N.B. is also sending 49 people, 21 trucks for power pole repairs expected when Irma impacts the United States.

Though the federal government says there is no official directive for the navy, they remain on high alert.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron Cadloff.