ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — Many residents from the west coast of Florida, who are in the path of Hurricane Ian, are not taking chances and are headed east to South Florida or the Treasure Coast.
One man said it took him six hours to travel from the west coast of Florida to the Pioneer Inn in Royal Palm Beach, located along Southern Boulevard.
Evacuees said they are stressed over thinking about what the hurricane could do to their homes and community.
Others said they live in an evacuation zone, prompting them to pack up their valuables and leave their home.
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"We learned, I think, during Irma that the stress is much better when you’re watching it on TV than when you’re in the house, especially with the kids," Kevin Griffith of Sarasota.
"I've been on the phone all day, people have been calling from the west coast [of Florida]," Sophia Manzanares, an employee at the Pioneer Inn.
"People are definitely leaving the area, and they're just going straight across the state to make sure they're safe," Pamela Kimble of Fort Myers.
Workers at the Pioneer Inn said all of their rooms are now fully booked.
