CHICAGO – Hurricane Helene is strengthening as it moves toward Florida, where it is expected to make landfall on Thursday. Some mandatory evacuations are in place in coastal areas – leaving residents and vacationers seeking refuge.
As Floridians brace for impact, a quiet O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday may have been the calm before the storm.
“We are getting a lot of alerts and a lot of people back home saying that we are definitely kind of in the line of fire,” said Donna Pecci, traveler.
Pecci is originally from Chicago but now lives in Naples. She’s been traveling through on business and just returned from Arkansas. On Wednesday, she planned to visit with family in the area before attempting to get back to the Sunshine State to hunker down Thursday.
“We’re headed back to pick up our dog and supposedly supposed to be out tomorrow,” said Pecci. “Definitely going to get a lot of storms, a lot of …