Expand / Collapse search
☰

Flights canceled from Orlando to Chicago as Tropical Storm Nicole expected to make landfall

By
Updated  November 9, 2022 9:14pm CST
Severe Weather
FOX 32 Chicago

Chicago area residents able to get out of Florida ahead of Hurricane Nicole

Some Chicago area residents are happy to be home and out of the path of Hurricane Nicole, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday morning near St. Port Lucie on the east coast of Florida.

CHICAGO - Some Chicago area residents are happy to be home and out of the path of Hurricane Nicole, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday morning near St. Port Lucie on the east coast of Florida.

Many of these areas now have evacuation orders and some are still feeling the impact of Hurricane Ian two months ago.

"All of the sea walls are still down, the beaches are eroded, rivers still flooded," said Charles Miller, who landed at O'Hare Airport Wednesday but lives near Fort Lauderdale. "This is a bad time for another hurricane."

Several flights were canceled throughout the state, but Orlando International Airport shut down Wednesday afternoon and will remain closed until the area is deemed safe.

There are no more flights into Orlando from O'Hare Wednesday night or Thursday.

SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE

Passengers who spoke to FOX 32 Chicago said parts of Orlando were cleaned up from Hurricane Ian, but that they couldn't believe it was happening again.

One family said they left relatives behind.

"They are from here, they are just taking a longer vacation in Orlando, and I guess they were told to like, stay in their hotels," a family member said. "We were on the phone for two hours, but we were able to get on a noon flight and then yesterday the thing came through and said no more flights, and today it said the airport was closing at 4 p.m. so we would've been stuck."

Some passengers told FOX 32 they were on one of the last three planes to get out of Orlando International Airport before it closed at 4 p.m.

"The pilot was like if we don’t take off by 4, we are going to be stuck here until Friday afternoon," said Amy Malmstrom, who flew back to Chicago with her husband and 5-year-old son Anders.

"On the last full day it was very rainy," said Anders about his vacation at Disney World. "My socks and shoes got soaked."

Disney World, Universal and Sea World all shut down early Wednesday. Daytona Beach and Palm Beach airports also closed Wednesday afternoon, like Orlando.

Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports are still open and are monitoring operations.