Despite the warnings, many Floridians say they aren’t leaving their homes, including a group of Chicagoans. NBC 5’s Katie Kim has the story of those staying behind.
As people scramble to get out of Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma, at least one major airline has put a stop to their flights from the state.
American Airlines has cancelled its remaining flights to Chicago out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach on Friday night. The 2:30 p.m. flight from Miami did leave and arrived in Chicago Friday afternoon, but the final three flights of the evening were all cancelled as the airline prepares for the arrival of the hurricane.
All 40 flights from Miami to O’Hare International Airport on Saturday and Sunday have already been cancelled by the airline, according to their website.
Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in Florida either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, and it could reach shore as a Category 5 hurricane, according to forecast models. Mandatory evacuations are in effect all over the state, including in Key West and Broward County.
