MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Debby, a tropical storm strengthening into a hurricane, caused flight cancellations and delays on Saturday and Sunday at Miami International Airport.
Debby’s ripple effects caused 19% of incoming flights to be called off and 10% of MIA’s outgoing flights to be cancelled. There were hundreds of delays.
There was frustration at airline counters. Long lines crowded the halls.
“We were just about halfway to the airport this morning and then got the text message saying the flight was cancelled,” said Hissam Ahmed, who is travelling to Toronto. He added that an airline employee said, “Just to wait, wait for the next text, with a plan B, so while we’re in line, we’re even contemplating our options, even considering driving 20 hours up to Toronto.”
Miami-Dade Aviation Department officials asked travellers to check the status of the flights with their airlines before arriving at MIA, which FlightAware reports is among the airports with the most delays and cancellations in the country.
“I was supposed to fly to Newark yesterday, our flight was at 6:27 pm, and it just kept getting cancelled and cancelled,” Carmen Yeats said, adding an airline employee told her that amid the uncertainty, they couldn’t find a pilot for her flight.
The situation at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was slightly better, but here were still delays and cancellations for outgoing and incoming flights.
Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents about the need to prepare for flooding and abide by the local mandatory evacuations. He deployed the National Guard.
“It is going to drop a lot of rain across many parts of the state, but certainly in the northern part of the state we already have saturation in those areas,” DeSantis said Sunday.
On Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Debby prompted a life-threatening storm surge affecting Florida’s Gulf Coast. The storm’s outer bands caused havoc in low-lying areas and barrier islands.
Debby is the fourth named storm of this hurricane season, which ends Nov 30.
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