ORLANDO, Fla. – As Hurricane Maria approaches Puerto Rico as a Category 5 hurricane, many families are preparing their homes for yet another strong storm or have made the decision to evacuate after Hurricane Irma made landfall over a week ago.
The U.S. territory did not take a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, though the island sustained heavy winds and torrential rains.
One Hurricane Maria related-death as been reported in Guadeloupe, where someone was killed by a falling tree, according to The Associated Press.
The impending storm has people preparing for another storm in Puerto Rico, which only recently regained power three days after Hurricane Irma.
"We had a power generator here, so it was at least easier to keep the house cooler in the morning and then turn it up in the afternoon to get everything refrigerated again, so we wanted to keep our food safe because we didn't know, Mayra Sánchez-García told News 6 via Skype from Puerto Rico.
Garcia and her family feel prepared to take on Hurricane Maria by replenishing their supplies for the family of seven who will ride out the storm together.
"Right now, we have our whole house boarded up; thankfully, we are in a no-flood zone. We stocked up on water and non-perishable foods," she said.
But García said even though they are prepared for Maria, they still remain cautious as they continue to monitor the storm.
"We do not like to take any risks during this hurricane. We are extremely nervous, especially after seeing the images coming from Dominica. It's going to hit us and we haven't had a hurricane like this since Georges, so its pretty scary," she said.
As Garcia prepares in Puerto Rico flights, are arriving to Orlando International Airport from Puerto Rico for those who decided to evacuate.
Sandra Rosario and her friend Haiti made the decision to leave their island, but are worried about the damages they will possibly find on their return.
"Yes I am I'm in an apartment on the 12th floor and I'm sure when I come back I'm not going to find it," Rosario said.
Rosario did not want to take the chance and ride out the Category 5 storm in her home.
One family News 6 spoke to cut their vacation short in the country, just in time to hop a flight home.
"We got a flight at 1 a.m. this morning. It was one of the flights Jet Blue added to get people out of there," said Anthony Seecharran, from Tampa.
Officials said Jet Blue and other airlines had 14 flights that arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Orlando on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Maria.
But Garcia passing over Puerto Rico is only the first step in the process; the other is the aftermath.
"It's not the hurricane itself its the aftermath of the hurricane that's scary because we can brave out the storm, but the hit that the infrastructure is gonna take is what's going to affect us in the months after it," she said.