Here's What It Looks Like To Be Stuck In A Miami Hotel During Hurricane Irma
Stranded travelers, emergency workers, and lots of waiting.
Ana James arrived at Miami's Fairfield Inn and Suites Saturday with her mother, daughter, and younger sister. They evacuated fairly late from the Brickell neighborhood of Miami, which has been heavily flooded as of Sunday afternoon. "When we decided to leave, it was too late to find a shelter that would take dogs, so we came here," said James.
The hotel has become a temporary shelter for emergency workers, stranded tourists, and locals who weren't able to evacuate until the last minute. Photographer Nicole Craine captured the scene.
A view near the Miami airport early Sunday morning as Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Florida.
Hotel guests eat breakfast and wait out the storm.
Tourists stranded by Irma comfort each other.
To pass the time, a guest watches live radar updates on television.
Guests and emergency response crews have breakfast at the hotel. Julie Maldonado, director of sales at Fairfield Inn and Suites, told BuzzFeed News that "50 rooms at the hotel are dedicated to electric and tree cleanup crews for the FPL [Florida Power & Light] which have been booked since September 5th."
"After Hurricane Andrew, it was a disaster, logistically. This time, they are ready."
Natalia Garcia and her 11-year-old son, Santiago, were supposed to fly home to Buenos Aires on Monday, but their flight was canceled as Irma passed through Miami.
Guests congregate in the lobby and other common areas to watch the storm and wait for updates.
Ed Jackson, a bus driver from Orlando, waits out the storm from the hotel lobby.
To pass time during mandatory curfew, guests Yolanda and Eduardo Rojas of San Juan, Argentina, play cards.
Hotel employees sop up rainwater as it leaks in through the front door.
Luis Garcia (left), a bus driver who’s in from Orlando to help transport emergency responders, chats with James and her mother, Maria Macias.
Hotel guests gather in the lobby after the power goes out in the hotel.
Flooding on NW 11th street, near the hotel.
This is a developing story and will be updated as the hurricane progresses.
