Story highlights The military is braced for Hurricane Irma hitting the US mainland

The current forecast suggests it could strike Florida over the weekend

(CNN) The US military has ordered the evacuation of over five thousand personnel from a Naval Air Station in Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma.

Irma is now a Category 5 storm and one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Currently, it is threatening to slam into Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with "potentially catastrophic" force on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The military is braced for it to hit the US mainland and the current forecast suggests it could strike Florida over the weekend.

More than 5,000 active duty service members, civilians and their families based at Naval Air Station Key West have received mandatory evacuation orders, according to US Navy officials. The officials familiar with the evacuation plan say approximately 50 to 60 personnel will stay to man essential functions at the installation.

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