Driving to Connecticut from Florida is something many people might not consider as Hurricane Irma prepares to make landfall there, but many Sunshine State residents are getting on the roads to get out of the storm's path.
For some, that means driving distances as far north as New England.
Yvonne Simmons, who grew up on the Connecticut shoreline and now lives outside Orlando, headed to Groton with her husband Thursday to be with family.
They previously planned a vacation here in Connecticut, but the storm is now casting a shadow over their trip.
"I’ve given up all thoughts of having a good time. All we can do is pray for the best," Simmons said during a stop at the Branford rest area.
Destinee Johnson and Tyler Kearney drove from Cape Coral, Florida with their 3-month-old child and were headed to Cape Cod. They had hoped to catch a flight to make the trip later in the week, but the airline advised them to drive if they could.
“The news started saying, ‘Take off now’ and ‘Now is the time to get out,’ so we rented a car and took off,” said Kearney.
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“It’s scary to think that we’re probably not going to have a home to come back to. We have the most important things right now. Material stuff we can always get later," Johnson said.
On Thursday, Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered all public K-12 schools, colleges, universities and state office buildings closed through Monday September 11.
