ST. MARYS, Georgia — Florida’s interstates were filled with cars Tuesday as evacuees tried to navigate their way to safer areas.
The Georgia Welcome Center rest area was particularly congested, with drivers waiting for parking spaces and a line out the door at times to use the bathroom.
“First time in 47 years we’ve left the house," said Gary Sobie, who evacuated from Sarasota.
Sobie has hunkered down through countless storms at his home in Sarasota, but when he saw Hurricane Milton’s track, he decided it was time to go.
“It’s heading straight in," said Sobie. "The other ones were glancing blows and look like they may turn, but this one looks like it’s heading straight in.”
Getting out of town was a bit tougher than Sobie imagined.
“We were happy on I-75 to be able to get up to eight miles per hour," said Sobie. "It took us six and a half hours to get to Orlando from Sarasota.”
The evacuation traffic is so bad that FDOT decided to open the shoulders of the road up on I-75 northbound and I-4 eastbound.
A FDOT spokesperson says they haven’t done that on I-95 yet, and will only start to consider it if traffic slows to less than 40 miles per hour consistently.
While Sobie is trying to get away from his home, other drivers are trying to race back to their homes before Hurricane Milton arrives.
The Griesch family from Columbia South Carolina cut their Disney trip short by four days.
“140+ mile per hour winds in no match for a human being, so to err on the side of caution and go ahead and leave, I thought, was a good decision," said Chris Griesch.
Sobie will get some family time in with his son and grandkids in Raleigh, North Carolina during the storm, trying not to worry too much about his home.
“Worried about the house, but stuff is stuff," said Sobie. "Us people are what’s important.”
A few evacuees asked whether or not FDOT would turn any of the Southbound lanes into Northbound lanes to help get the evacuees out.
The answer is no – that’s against policy because it prevents supplies and resources from getting in to impacted areas.