They Keys have been remarkably lucky as far as hurricanes go. The usually past well south of them into the Gulf of Mexico, or well to the east of them as they head up the eastern seaboard.
This one isn’t following that path…its heading directly for the keys. Even if it turns north into Miami, its big enough that the keys are still going to get slammed with 180+ mph winds.
So yeah…getting the hell out of dodge is a good idea, when living along a series of tiny islands that only have one way out and in.
Actually, Puerto Rico is set to take the “country’s first blow” from Irma. The people that live there are US citizens.