5.6 million people told to evacuate Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The mass exodus from Florida continues as people race to get out of the path of the hurricane.

A steady stream of traffic rolled up Interstate 95 on Friday night as people who live in Florida raced to escape Hurricane Irma.

“(Interstate) 95 is very packed. We were stuck in traffic for, like, seven hours today,” said Stephen Doscher, who lives in Fort Lauderdale and is heading to New York. “We can't be without power for a week. We have a business to run," he said.

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All day, cars and trucks packed onto Interstate 95, one of the main thoroughfares out of Florida.

At a gas station along I-95 near Savannah, Channel 11 found drivers filling up their tanks for the long haul.

“This is a good vacation, but it interrupted my school,” said Fletcher Hiyaa, who goes to college in Miami.  His school canceled classes and closed because of the hurricane.

“They said it was only going to be Thursday and Friday, but then it got too serious and we had to leave,” he said. “We are going to stop at Charleston and then probably go to New York for a vacation,” he said.

Cox Media Group