I-95 jammed as Irma evacuees head home in numbers

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, North Carolina (WTVD) -- There's a traffic alert for drivers heading southbound on I-95. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is warning travelers to expect delays as Irma evacuees return home to Florida.

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Drivers from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina passed through North Carolina continuously. All of them had the same goal in mind and that's getting back home safely.

Those who spoke to ABC11 generally agreed that traffic was a nightmare as they were trying to flee the storm. Interstates such as I-95 were jammed, turning trips that would normally take a couple of hours into day-long adventures.

ABC11 talked to several people who said they couldn't wait to get home especially after learning Hurricane Irma spared their homes.

"We have minimal damage on a piece of the fence that fell. That's it," said Trea Garza, a Tampa Bay resident. "We're just really grateful. Thank God his hand was at work because it could have been a whole lot worse."

Louis Decaro, a Port St. Lucie resident, struck a similar tone.

"Aside from some leaves, none of the palm trees fell and there was no structural damage to the house," Decaro said.

NC DOT said drivers heading south on I-95 toward South Carolina can expect major delays.

Click here for real-time NC travel info.