Evacuate, hunker down, or relocate to a shelter. These were the options people had to choose between as Irma hurdled toward Florida.

Hurricanes are very dangerous no matter what category they are. Some people were haunted with panic, others barely glanced at the news. Those who took initiative and left were faced with difficulties once they hit the road.

Junior Breanne Menikheim is one of many that evacuated to escape hurricane Irma through driving. Her and her family encountered challenges on the road.

“We started to look for exits with gas, when my mom and I got to an exit with a gas station, they were out of gas,” said Breanne Menikheim. “We were stuck in a hotel parking lot with no gas.”

Those who were located in an official evacuation zone, like Menikheim, were enforced to leave. The people who stayed in their homes against the advice to leave would go without help in the case of an emergency.

“If you live in any evacuation zones and you’re still at home, leave! Do not try to ride out this storm … we can’t save you once the storm hits,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott (foxnews.com).

Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and northern parts of Florida were common places that people went to take shelter. Menikheim and her family decided to evacuate Florida and drive to Macon, Georgia.

“We left because the model of the hurricane was coming right for Pinellas County. We are also in zone C for flooding and our neighbors are zone B, which is pretty bad,” said Menikheim. Zone B was a mandatory evacuation zone.

Before they left they did what they could to prepare before rushing out of the state. “We brought all of our outdoor furniture inside, and put important items we could not take on high shelves.” said Menikheim.

Irma left a trail behind that consisted of tree branches and fences. Families eventually made their way back to Florida and settled down to hope that no more hurricanes strike.