Hurricane Milton evacuations: Florida residents head to Philly

PHILADELPHIA - Evacuees are landing in Philly before Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida. 

"I was actually supposed to fly out tomorrow, but I heard that they are shutting down Tampa airport at 9 a.m.," said Alexa Gallagher.  

She and her dog, Alan, flew home Monday afternoon to stay with family in Elkins Park.   

Fellow evacuees say they can already feel the storm inching closer.

"The temperature is changing.  The winds are blowing and everybody is very, very stressed about getting ready again," said one woman who flew to Philly to be with family out of fear.

St. Petersburg resident Tina Ernde and her two young children are retreating to New Jersey after spending the weekend gutting their home.

Every single one of my neighbors is completely flooded.  They have six feet of water inside of their houses," explained Ernde. "We’ve been through 15 hurricane seasons and it’s never been anything like this."

Ernde and her 5-year-old daughter, Grace, say they spent the last several nights hauling a cart of donated supplies through their neighborhood trying to help the community stay fed and hydrated while picking up the pieces post-Helene.

Grace says, "I served Gatorade, paper towels, cloth wipes."

As the state braces for Milton, many say they’re leaning on their faith to get them through.

"We’re concerned, but again, we’re praying that God’s gonna watch out for us," said Tampa resident Reggie Rose, who flew to Philly Monday night for work. "Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen."