Mom of Florida College Student Reveals 'Terror' Trying to Evacuate Son Second Time As Milton Barrels Toward Campus
Milton is expected to hit Florida as a category 5 storm
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The mother of a Tampa Bay college student is revealing the struggle she faced trying to evacuate her son from Florida for the second time this month, as Hurricane Milton barrels toward the Sunshine State.
University of Tampa student Maximus Mattuchio, who had only recently returned to campus after Hurricane Helene, now faces another evacuation as the powerful storm threatens the region.
"It's just absolute terror of just 'I need to get my baby home,'" Amanda Mattuchio, Maximus's mom, said to WBZ-TV, struggling to book a flight amid the storm due to cancellation, delay and re-routings.
"Every time I tried to book a flight, it would disappear or, you know, I was looking at airports, and he doesn't have a car," she said to the CBS affiliate.
Maximus finally drove overnight to Orlando, to wait 12 hours for a flight to Boston, the news outlet reported.
Milton, which intensified into a Category 5 storm on Tuesday, is expected to impact Tampa early Thursday morning.
As the dangerous storm barrels toward Florida, four public universities have announced closures, bracing for impact. According to National Hurricane Center forecasters, Milton is "expected to be a dangerous major hurricane" when it reaches Florida's coast.
