PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. (WSVN) — Passengers who were stranded at Port Everglades during and after the shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, are now heading to their final destinations after a hectic ordeal and a long night.
After a long day and night, passengers can now continue their journeys after a tragic shooting rampage put them at a standstill.
As authorities took control of the situation at FLL, many passengers were forced to stay, and even spend the night at Port Everglades.
One woman described her overnight experience. “Squished together on four seats, sleeping with our heads rested on our luggage, just to get a little bit of rest. We were so grateful to actually have somewhere to stay. They could have kicked us out on the streets, but they had food ready for us, they had blankets and pillows ready for us, there were places for us to charge our phones so that we could talk to our loved ones. It was absolutely amazing and we’re so very thankful.”
The Red Cross provided food, clothes and beds for many passengers. They also painted the faces of children to help take their minds of the situation at hand.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office tweeted out an image of a baby sleeping in an airport bin as deputies cleared the area.
A picture says a thousand words. It was a long night for everyone. Thank you to the public for your patience. #FLLshooting pic.twitter.com/nfhOV6TkN2
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) January 7, 2017
One passenger was celebrating her birthday as she waited. “I know that something bad’s happening, some of them are being killed, but there was people with children, children screaming, you know, it was just horrible,” she said. “It was my birthday and I spent it in the airport. That was the worst birthday ever.”
FLL is working to return over 20,000 bags to their owners after many were forced to abandon them.
The Broward County Bus Depot is bringing out buses to transport passengers back and forth to the airport if needed.
Parts of the airport reopened, Saturday, however officials recommend passengers to check with their airlines to see if any changes have been made with their flight.
The TSA also tweeted out, “Passengers who left their ID behind during Friday’s evacuation at FLL should arrive extra early at airport to allow for TSA to verify ID.”
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