Hurricane Irma has already wreaked havoc on a large part of the Caribbean, and is now gearing up to make landfall in the U.S. Florida is under a state of emergency and many counties have issued mandatory evacuations. In response, airline JetBlue is offering $99 direct flights from every single Florida city where it operates to help people get out of the hurricane’s path as quickly as possible.
For connecting flights, JetBlue confirmed that the maximum fare will be $159 up to the last available seat through Sept. 10. "We want those trying to leave ahead of the hurricane to focus on their safe evacuation rather than worry about the cost of flights," JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw said.
Monroe County (which includes the Florida Keys) and Broward County (which includes Fort Lauderdale) have already issued full or partial mandatory evacuations, per CNN. Florida Governor Rick Scott has warned Florida residents to expect even more evacuations. "If you're told to evacuate, get out quickly," Scott said. "We can expect additional evacuations as this storm continues to come near our state."
Airports are also expected to close, with many flights cancelled as Irma gets closer. Irma is expected to reach the United States this weekend. During the two-week span between Aug. 25 and Sept. 5, nearly 13,300 flights have been cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and in anticipation of Hurricane Irma.
Because Irma is barreling toward the "heavily populated eastern part of Florida's coast, the enormous storm could create one of the largest mass evacuations in U.S. history," CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen warned.
Irma is currently heading toward Florida with winds of up to 185 mph, with an official classification as a Category 5 hurricane. Hurricane Harvey, which destroyed much of Houston and surrounding areas, was a Category 4 hurricane, as was Hurricane Katrina.
