Locals keep a wary eye on Dorian
With travel disruptions and worries about second homes, residents fear storm’s impact
Peg Romer can barely peel her eyes away from cable news as Hurricane Dorian slowly makes its way to her “little piece of heaven,” a property she and her husband own in Vero Beach, Florida.
“It’s pretty devastating to think we could get hit head on,” she said Sunday from her home in Rotterdam. “We’re just praying that it will turn and just go out to sea.” While Romer and her husband, Joe, are safe at their home in the Capital Region, other area residents are hunkering down and preparing to ride out Hurricane Dorian as it threatens to hit Florida’s eastern coast Monday night.
Airlines servicing Albany International Airport are warning customers that flights to and from Florida could be delayed or canceled. Arrivals and departures to locations such as Orlando and Tampa via Albany were running as scheduled Sunday.
Hurricane Dorian is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, with devastating sustained winds of 185 mph and storm surge of more than 18 feet of water that hit Great Abaco, Bahamas, on Sunday.
At Albany International Sunday afternoon, families were waiting for baggage after cutting vacations short. College students and travelers from Florida with Capital Region ties said they came north to wait out the storm. “Lucky” was the word many passengers used to describe their weekend trips upstate.
Lachlan Squair, 54, was supposed to fly back to the Capital Region on Tuesday after a vacation with his family in Orlando. But the Schoharie County resident said his family decided to come back early after hearing that Florida airports may shut down this week.
“We were tossing up whether we were going to try to ride the storm out or come back, but it was more a case of we didn’t know how long we would be stuck down there, and school’s starting,” he said, gesturing to his two daughters.
Another Sunday traveler, 31-year-old Erik Ellis, has been living in Jacksonville for the past several years and also owns a house outside of Schenectady. Ellis said he booked his flight back to Albany just hours before boarding to “get ahead of everything” and avoid dangerous conditions.
“The surge from the storm alone will flood half of Jacksonville, definitely,” he said. “That’s why it’s like, ‘Yeah, I don’t need to be here.’”
The storm is expected to downgrade from a Category 5 as it nears the Florida coast Monday. But the track of the storm is unpredictable. The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a hurricane watch and storm surge watch for a portion of the eastern Florida coast.
Dorian is expected to continue moving north, hitting Georgia Tuesday and the Carolinas Wednesday. The weather service on Sunday predicted the storm will affect southern New Jersey on Thursday night.
The Romers purchased their home in Vero Beach about 15 years ago and travel south during New York winters. Romer said they’re anxious to see what path Dorian takes.
In 2004, a year after the Romers bought their Florida home, the community was hit with two hurricanes. They had to replace the roof and carport as well as the flooring. If the home is damaged again, Romer said, she’s unsure what they’ll do.
This time around, Romer said, she’s most concerned about family photos that are hung around the home.
“It’s awful to feel like you’re going to lose things like that,” she said. “We’re thankful we’re not there, but I am worried about the people who are going to be there.”
Romer has been in touch with Florida neighbors and friends who have relocated to safer places. She said they often go to nearby hotels or motels, but this time around there are few with vacancies.
About two hours north in Palm Coast, Schenectady native Donna Merchant and her husband, Ken, were stocking up on bottled water, batteries and other necessities to ride out their first hurricane in their new Florida home.
“We’re not panicking,” Merchant told the Times Union on Sunday ahead of another run to the grocery store. “To be honest, it’s kind of exciting because it’s your first one. We’re excited to see what it’s really like to compare it to a Nor’easter.”
The Carolinas are expected to be hit by the storm starting Thursday, which could affect more flights.
The airlines have said they will waive fees for pet transportation and flight changes. Refunds can also be requested for cancellations.
Travelers can check the status of flights coming and in and out of Albany International Airport on the airport’s website. Passengers also can check directly with their airlines.