JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville couple is back home safe after escaping the path of Hurricane Sandy.
Kevin and Sue Monahan left Jacksonville on Friday, to fly to a friend's wedding in Wayne, NJ, just 25 miles west of Manhattan. As soon as they landed, Monahan knew something was wrong.
"As you monitored it and saw it coming closer, you just knew you had to get out."
Monahan says people were scared and weren't prepared for a powerful hurricane to hit the northeast.
"We have flashlights, we have candles, we have all those things and folks are asking us, what do we do?" Monahan said.
After the wedding, the Monahans tried to fly back to Jacksonville, but flight after flight was canceled, so the couple began the 17-hour drive south.
"It was windy, but there wasn't a lot of rain, so we had that going for us."
The Monahans managed to stay just ahead of the worst wind and rain, and passed convoy after convoy of utility trucks that were headed north. Monahan says other evacuees seemed panicked.
"People were not paying a lot of attention to the speed on the road. They just wanted to get south and fast. We were lucky enough to get out and back down to Jacksonville and it's great to be home."
Jacksonville International Airport continues to have flights delayed or canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. A full list of flight departure statuses can be found here:
http://www.jia.aero/content.aspx?id=23
