CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte couple on vacation in Cancun had to evacuate their resort Tuesday night as Hurricane Delta made landfall. The Espositos slept on the floor in a makeshift shelter, Wednesday going outside to downed trees and no power.
They still can't get back to their hotel.
As Hurricane Delta barreled towards the Yucatan Peninsula, the skies darkened, and waves picked up. Tourists staying in the resorts in Cancun were forced to evacuate, including Charlotte couple Vinny and Diane Esposito.
“At 5 o'clock they started busing everybody out of the resorts,” Vinny Esposito told WCNC Charlotte over the phone.
They were brought to a nearby school. Video they posted on Facebook shows people crowded into classrooms and laying on the floors in the hallway.
“There was no electricity, so they ran a generator just to keep lights," he said. "There were no fans, no windows, they were all boarded up."
Overnight, the storm made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.
“It was extreme conditions last night. It was howling really bad, I mean it was super loud, like a freight train,” Vinny Esposito said.
Wednesday morning, they got their first look at the destruction.
“There's trees everywhere," Vinny Esposito said. "The roads are closed so we can't go back to the resort."
While they figure out how to get back to the Carolinas, Red Cross volunteers are heading out, making their way down to Alabama, gearing up to help families in Delta's path.
“Put yourself in those people's shoes," said Robert Griffin with the Greater Carolinas Region of the Red Cross. "Until the storm passes, they really have no idea what if any damage their home has sustained, whether they have a home to go back to."
The Espositos have a flight booked back to the Queen City on Friday. American Airlines has issued a travel alert for that area and so far, some flights Thursday have already been cancelled.
