'They Couldn't Afford To Get Out:' People Fleeing Hurricane Irma Worry About Loved Ones Left Behind
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Some people fleeing Hurricane Irma are worried about loved ones who are staying behind.
CBS2's Valerie Castro met the Throne family Thursday night as they arrived in Times Square from Florida.
"If you can get out, you have to get out," Brian Throne said.
Brian, his wife Crystal and their 7-year-old son, Steven, traveled in a pickup truck packed with only their most important belongings tucked underneath orange tarps. Their family pet rode along in the backseat.
"Important papers and medical supplies, and then more blankets," Crystal explained. "There's a lot of very sentimental stuff that you don't get to bring that you're hoping you don't lose."
The family lives in Melbourne on the east coast of the state. They joined the thousands who took to the roads, fleeing north.
More than one million people are under a mandatory evacuation order across the state. But not everyone is able to go.
"We begged our family over and over and over again – anybody that's still there, we begged them to leave," Brian said.
"They couldn't afford to get out," said Crystal.
"I don't think it's fun really, because in Florida I have some cousins," Steven added. "And I don't want them to get hurt."
Armanda Marin, of Union City, worried about her sister down south.
"Anxiety is through the roof," she told Castro. "I've stayed up late nights worrying about: Where's she going to go? Our friends -- what are they going to do? Are they going to have a place to come home to?"
"My suggestion to people that can't even afford to get out: If you can get $100 or a couple hundred dollars, get in your car and just try to go as far as you can," Brian said.
The Throne family said whatever they couldn't fit in their pickup truck they put into a storage unit. They hope it's still there, along with their home, whenever they return.