Thousands of National Guard members prepare for Hurricane Irma

Thousands of Florida National Guard members were deployed through the state to help residents as powerful Hurricane Irma nears.

“These men and women are putting themselves in harm’s way to save the lives of their Floridians while many of their own families are evacuating,” said Gov. Rick Scott.

By Friday, 8,000 members of the Florida National Guard were expected to be mobilized ahead of Irma's landfall on a path to take it northward up the Florida Keys for a potential direct hit on Miami this weekend.

The general in charge of the Ohio National Guard says as many as 3,500 Ohio soldiers will be sent to Florida to help the state with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

Maj. General Mark Bartman told The Associated Press Saturday the Ohio National Guard will be part of a contingent of totaling around 7,000 soldiers from National Guard units in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

Bartman says Ohio Guard soldiers will head to Florida starting sometime next week. It's the Ohio National Guard's first large deployment of soldiers for U.S. disaster relief since Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005.

The general says Ohio Guard soldiers will be involved in varying missions that could include providing security alongside local law enforcement and helping transport stranded people to shelters

The members took to Twitter to show what they're doing to keep Floridians safe before, during and after the storm.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group