Hurricane Irma: Bel Air Residents Take In Florida Evacuees

BEL AIR, MD — More than 6 million people are under an evacuation order in Florida as Hurricane Irma approaches, and some are seeking refuge several states away — in Bel Air, Maryland.

"My parents are coming to my house in Bel Air from Cape Coral, Florida. They will be staying with me until the unknown is known," Liz Thompson wrote Saturday on the Bel Air Patch Facebook page.

Thompson's parents were making the more-than-1,000-mile drive to Harford County from a city south of Tampa, Florida, where shelters were nearly full on Saturday afternoon. (Get news alerts from Bel Air Patch and like us on Facebook.)

When Hurricane Irma lands in Florida Sunday after tearing through Cuba, the gulf coast is in the most danger of massive flooding, from storm surges that could push walls of water up to 12 feet high.

Watch: Hurricane Irma Officially Arrives In Florida

Thompson is not the only one in Bel Air hosting a Tampa Bay area evacuee seeking safety from the storm.

"Flew our daughter home from USF last night!" Renée Pullen said Saturday.

University of South Florida, also known as USF, will be closed until at least Tuesday. University officials said they need to inspect the more than 350 buildings on the Tampa campus before deeming it safe.

With 120 mph winds, Hurricane Irma could peel roofs from buildings and snap power poles. Authorities anticipate 9 million people in Florida could lose power, which would take weeks to restore in some places.

Florida Power and Light reported that as of 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Hurricane Irma was already affecting service in Miami:

Heidi Brady has four relatives from the Miami area staying with her in Bel Air.

Her brother-in-law, his wife and their three children drove up Thursday and arrived in Harford County Friday night.

While traffic was slow at first leaving the Sunshine State, Brady said the congestion eventually eased up, and the family had no issues with gas.

According to FEMA, the demand for gasoline increased five-fold in Florida, leading to gas shortages as stations were temporarily out of fuel while residents scrambled to leave the area.

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In one case, a Maryland woman picked up her car keys and traveled to Florida instead.

Carol Jessop said that her college-age son would not leave Clermont, Florida, so she drove down to weather the storm with him.

"Crazy, I know," she said, attributing the decision simply to "a mother's love."

They were near Orlando, where the airport closed Saturday evening, joining others across the state in grounding flights until at least Monday, Sept. 11.

Jessop said it was raining and breezy Saturday afternoon there, as evacuation orders went up for those in low-lying areas. Still, she said, it "just looks like another rainy day."

Do you have an evacuation story related to Hurricane Irma? Send it to elizabeth.janney@patch.com.

With reporting from Patch Editorial Director Dennis Robaugh.

Image from Google Earth.