Evacuees flee to New York’s JFK Airport 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.

At John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, some people were lucky enough to make it out Tuesday night, but it was a challenge.

“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.

Tampa’s airport suspended all operations Tuesday night. Orlando’s airport will close Wednesday morning, so people have been arriving from Jacksonville and Miami, if they can get a seat on a flight, with time running out.

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