Tampa International Airport announced it will suspend operations on Tuesday at 9 a.m. in anticipation of Hurricane Milton.
“I was visiting family, so it just so happened that I was lucky enough to get out today. I don’t think I would’ve been so lucky tomorrow,” said Bonnie Etense.
Etense was one of many aboard a flight from Tampa to Bradley International Airport on Monday afternoon.
“I think the first one scared a lot of people. There was a lot of damage, so I think a lot of people are heeding the warning on this one and starting to get out of there,” said Jason Howard, who was also traveling from Tampa to Connecticut on Monday.
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About a week since Hurricane Helene made landfall, Hurricane Milton is now making its own charge towards Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“It destroyed our barrier islands, so there’s a ton of debris still sitting on the roads from the last hurricane ten days ago and we’re getting another one,” said Cody Clark, of St. Petersburg, Florida. “They’re evacuating a couple hundred thousand people,” she said.
She just happened to be away on business this week, while back home the area is already bracing for the storm.
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“They’re turning off the sewer and the water starting tonight and tomorrow morning,” Clark said.
Clark’s original plan was to fly back to Tampa on Thursday, but with Milton now a category five hurricane, that itinerary will likely change.
“If you can get out as soon as possible just do it. It’s not worth it,” Clark said.
Officials at Bradley are advising people to contact their specific airline for more information about delays or cancellations ahead of the storm.
