Debby disrupts travel plans as delays, cancellations continue at South Florida airports

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Heavy winds, rain, and flooding brought on by Hurricane Debby in the Big Bend area of the state have left many travelers affected by the storm.

While South Florida may have been spared from severe damage, the storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, disrupting travel plans across the region.

At Miami International Airport, long lines continued to back up Monday as the arrival and departure boards remained covered in delays and cancellations.

“Right now we are looking at about 137 cancellations,” airport spokesperson Jack Varela said.

John Obringer and his wife Morgan were fortunate enough to make it back from the Bahamas while on their honeymoon.

Unfortunately, they learned that their connecting flight at MIA was canceled.

“The earliest flight we think we can get is maybe to Detroit and then Detroit to Philadelphia on Wednesday or Thursday,” Obringer said.

Jama Sangley said she and her family rode out the storm in Saint Martin and, for days, have been trying to get back home to San Antonio.

”Our initial flight was canceled and moved to two days later,” she said. “That is the first time we have seen hurricane winds.”

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, there were more than 90 delays and 47 cancellations.

While Local 10 News didn’t spot long lines there, officials are closely monitoring the weather to see just what Debby will do next so they can make the necessary changes.

Officials at MIA said that because they had 270 cancellations yesterday, they are currently trying to recover from that.

In the meantime, they are urging travelers to check with their airlines to ensure their flights are on schedule.

Officials said they are hopeful that as Debby makes its way out into the Atlantic, it will alleviate some of the flight delays and cancellations.