Hurricane Irma: Evacuees Fly, Drive To Maryland

BALTIMORE, MD—In Maryland, seeing out-of-state plates is business as usual, but this weekend residents may see more of our southern neighbors as they evacuate from Hurricane Irma. Forecasters say Hurricane Irma could do minimal damage in Maryland, and evacuees are heading toward or passing through the state to avoid the brunt of the storm.

Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in Florida Sunday morning, possibly on its western coast. Authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of Florida like the Keys, parts of Miami-Dade County and the Tampa Bay area, as well as coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina.

With minimal impact expected from the storm, Maryland appears to be a destination for some evacuees, or at least a path north.

Watch: Hurricane Irma Officially Arrives In Florida

Evacuees have been arriving by plane and car.

Maryland residents are also opening their homes to evacuees while they wait out the storm.

SEE ALSO:

• Hurricane Irma: 'Freight Train' Of A Storm Barrels Toward Florida, Georgia, Carolinas
• Hurricane Irma: Maryland Ready With 'Any And All Resources,' Governor Says

As of Saturday morning, Irma was located about 225 miles south of Miami, moving west-northwest at 12 mph. The hurricane has torn through Caribbean, leaving at least 20 people dead in its wake and packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.

Pictured in this image, traffic backs in the north-bound lanes of Interstate 75 near the Georgia-Florida state line as people flee Hurricane Irma Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, in Jennings, Fla.. (John Bazemore/Associated Press)