Evacuees flee to New York City airports as Hurricane Milton closes in on Florida
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Time is running out for people to get out of the way of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall in Florida sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Some people were fleeing to local airports like JFK, Newark and LaGuardia, but dozens of flights from Florida to the Tri-State area have already been canceled.
Those able to fly out have done just that, but it wasn't easy. Some fliers had to catch connecting flights just to get out of Hurricane Milton's destructive path.
RELATED | Hurricane Milton live updates: Powerful Category 4 closes in on Florida as time to evacuate runs out
Others were faced with airports closing after Tampa and the St. Pete airports closed on Tuesday night.
"We actually caught the last two seats on the flight," said Erica Palazzo, who cut her Florida visit short. "We had to change our airport from Orlando to Jacksonville and we had to drive to Jacksonville."
Driving wasn't easy either.
"No gas, we couldn't get gas," Palazzo said.
Police have been escorting gas tankers to replenish supply which is in high demand from evacuations as Florida's Gulf Coast braces for impact.
President Joe Biden said this could the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century.
A NASA astronaut snapped a stunning image of Hurricane Milton from the International Space Station.
Escaping from St. Petersburg, which is directly in the storm's path, were Mae Caputo and her best friend Josephine Wanko.
The two women, both in their 90s, had just been through Helene, which left a mess.
"Beds. Chairs. Everything is out. I could cry, it's so sad," Caputo said.
Officials in Florida are also concerned those items could become projectiles as people leave their homes.
The two friends hopped a flight to stay with Caputo's family in New York until it's safe, but are worried for neighbors.
"I have family. I know where to go," Caputo said. "People have no family; they don't know where to go. They have to get out of St. Pete Beach and travel."
The mayor of nearby Tampa is urging people to listen to the evacuation warnings and not the misinformation about help from FEMA.
"Please don't get political on this. This storm is going to affect everybody and we are getting the help that we need," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
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