Crews in South Florida removed the scaffolding at a children's hospital that's being renovated, nailed plywood to secure another hospital under construction and took down cranes at other project sites ahead of Hurricane Irma.

Impacts from the Category 5 storm could be felt in the region starting Saturday, according to a National Hurricane Center forecast Thursday.

The always-looming threat of a hurricane in South Florida means most builders have storm preparation plans in place before starting a project.