Irene scraps travel plans for thousands, brings transit to halt in area - The Journal News | LoHud.com

Ron and Teresa Justice cut their weeklong vacation a bit short and were awaiting word Saturday on whether they could catch an outgoing flight at Westchester County Airport.

"There ain't nobody leaving tomorrow," Ron Justice said as he sat with his wife near a television with ongoing coverage of Hurricane Irene. "We should have left (Friday)."

Though their stay in the New York metropolitan area was enjoyable, it was time to get far away from the storm and its heavy winds, massive rainfall and untold havoc.

"We've had an earthquake, and now a hurricane — it's time to go home to Kentucky," Teresa joked.

The Justices were among thousands of travelers trying to get on a flight at the Westchester County Airport before it closed at 6 p.m. Saturday. They were among millions from across the United States whose travel plans were thrown into disarray by the march of Hurricane Irene up the coast.

Across the country, airlines scrapped more than 8,300 flights this weekend from North Carolina to Boston. There were more than 3,600 cancellations on Saturday alone.

All New York City-area airports closed to arriving flights at noon on Saturday. The biggest airlines — United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.— canceled thousands of flights at hubs in the region.

For Marla and Jim Caruso, who were waiting at Westchester County Airport, getting home to Phoenix was no holiday. Their connecting flight to Detroit has been delayed and they were expecting it would eventually be canceled.

Jim Caruso said he might rent a car simply to get out of the hurricane's way. "If we have to, we have to. What are you going to do?"

Airlines were only part of the region's woes as travelers were faced with unprecedented shutdowns, services changes and closures.

For the first time, New York City put the brakes on its buses, subways and trains — they were all canceled and not expected to resume until sometime Monday — and 370,000 residents faced evacuation, some of them to the northern suburbs. Fares and tolls were waived in the evacuation zones.

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Amtrak cut some of its runs along the East Coast and has halted all service in the Northeast, including New York City, for today.

In Westchester, Bee-Line Buses ceased at 6 p.m. Saturday and many of the area's roadways were closed even before the heavy rains and winds arrived. They were the Bronx River Parkway from the split with the Sprain to Kensico Circle in Valhalla; The Saw Mill Parkway from the New York City border to Bedford Place; the Hutchinson River Parkway from the city line to the Cross County Parkway and the Taconic State Parkway from Kensico Circle in Valhalla to the Hawthorne interchange.

Metro-North Commuter Railroad trains began a shutdown at noon Saturday — an undertaking that went "flawlessly" according to the MTA — and it's uncertain when they will begin services again. That'll depend on the weather and its aftermath, spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

"It's going to take awhile to assess the damages. It's safe to say it's unlikely we'll have regular service on Monday," she said.

When Mike Davis arrived at Grand Central Terminal early Saturday morning, it was eerily quiet. Then he went to his outbound Metro-North train and realized where all the people were.

"The trains were packed," he said, shortly after arriving at the Katonah station with his girlfriend, Victoria Genau. The two were going to ride out the storm in Danbury, Conn. "It was a little hard finding a seat."

Tim Wiedel arrived in Katonah with his wife and two children. The Milwaukee residents, who had been staying in a mid-town hotel, couldn't get on a flight home, so they extended their vacation a bit.

"Our flight was canceled," Wiedel said as he packed luggage into the trunk of his friend's car. "So we're going to brave it up here with our friends."

In Mount Kisco, Karel Kennedy had finished her housekeeping job and was eager to catch a southbound train.

"I'm rushing to get back to the Bronx before the MTA shut down," she said. "I'm trying to catch one of the last trains back to the Bronx."

Back at the county airport, Michelle Patel was trying to get home to Atlanta, Ga. after dropping her son off at Connecticut College in New London. The feeling was "bittersweet," she said, since she had to leave her son at school even after his orientation was canceled.

But Hurricane Irene was well on her way, so Patel wanted to be on hers.

"We're ready to get out of here," Patel said.