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Six Jacksonville couples rescued from U.S. Virgin Islands during Hurricane Irma

Six Jacksonville couples had to be rescued from the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma approached.

The Category 5 hurricane decimated St. John, where the group was previously staying to celebrate Frank Filacchione’s 60th birthday.

Filacchione and his girlfriend, Susanne Monroe, traveled there with 10 friends.

“It was absolutely beautiful,” Filacchione said.

They were ordered to evacuate before a direct hit from Irma.

The group traveled west to St. Thomas, which offered higher ground, farther inland.

“We realized when we got there that we had nowhere to go,” Filacchione said. “And that began the scramble that lasted for five days.”

The group hunkered down for the storm.

“The world was going by at 175 miles per hour,” Filacchione said.

“It was unbelievably scary,” Monroe added. “It still like haunts you because it was so devastating.”

They woke up to a war zone.

Images from Planet Labs show St. John, once a lush, green paradise, left brown and dead. On St. Thomas, the group saw looting.

Eventually, the group got a boat to Puerto Rico and flew to Jacksonville.

“We were glad to get out,” Filacchione said. “Certainly, the situation was deteriorating.”

The group credits its safety to the staff at the boarding house where they stayed on St. Thomas.

“What they did for the 11 of us, I've never seen charity like that,” Filacchione said.

The First Alert Weather team said Hurricane Maria was approaching the U.S. Virgin Islands Tuesday.

Action News Jax Reporter Russell Colburn asked Filacchione how worried he felt.

“Very,” Filacchione replied.