BOSTON (WHDH) – By air and by car, many Florida residents were evacuating their homes Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton and its expected landfall near Tampa.
While some fled a short distance inland, others traveled further from the path of the storm.
“It is very scary,” said Jeremy Yee after flying into Logan International Airport in Boston.
After exploding to Category Five status on Monday, Milton weakened slightly overnight. The storm had peak sustained winds of 145 miles-per-hour as of 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Though it is expected to weaken further before landfall, Milton is still forecast to hit Florida as a major hurricane late Wednesday night early Thursday morning, causing significant storm surge, heavy rain, and wind damage.
Facing another major storm just weeks after Hurricane Helene lashed the area late last month, Yee said the mood in Tampa is tense.
“It’s like they can’t catch a break,” Yee said. “So, they’re feeling pretty hopeless.”
Milton could be the strongest hurricane to hit Tampa since 1921. In warnings, public officials including Mayor Jane Cassidy have not minced words, warning of deadly conditions for people who stay in vulnerable parts of the city.
“The fact that she used those words in an official statement, she’s serious,” Yee said.
With his feet now safely on the ground in Boston, Yee said he was not going to take any chances by staying home.
“Things are replaceable,” he said. “Lives are not.”
Though Milton was situated roughly 545 miles southwest of Tampa Tuesday, air travelers trying to evacuate were already dealing with flight disruptions.
Barbie Gonsalves said she was scheduled to fly on Wednesday. When her flight got canceled, she raced to the airport to get on a Boston-bound plane with her elderly mother and her nine-year-old son.
“We were able to sneak out on another plane,” she said.
“We didn’t really have an option,” she continued. “As soon as there was potential of our flight getting canceled, my best option was to get us to the airport as quick as possible.”
Gonsalves said there were many other people “on the same boat.”
Like Yee, Gonsalves landed in Boston early Tuesday morning. At least five other flights from Tampa to Boston had been scheduled with arrival times between 10:30 a.m. and 9:37 p.m., according to Massport.
Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 9 a.m., though, forcing airlines to cancel all flights.
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota, Florida is scheduled to suspend operations at 4 p.m.
With flight cancellations increasingly making evacuation by plane untenable, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis has assured residents they don’t have to travel far to stay safe.
“You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away,” he said at a Tuesday morning press conference, according to the Associated Press. “You do have options.”
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates on Hurricane Milton.
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