DULLES, Va. (DC News Now) -- People leaving Florida's Gulf Coast for the DMV made last-minute efforts Tuesday to head north as Hurricane Milton moves closer to the shore by the hour. Passengers landing at Dulles International Airport (IAD) Tuesday around 11 a.m. took off ahead of the storm from Tampa, 15 minutes before the airport closed at 9 a.m. Several travelers were emotional, evacuating just days after Hurricane Helene devastated the local area. "It looks like a war zone. We live in a beautiful neighborhood on the water, and the pictures don't do it justice," Jennifer Griffith, who was traveling with her husband on Tuesday, said. They are staying with family nearby in the Broadlands area for now as the storm inches closer to their home in St. Petersburg, Fla. "We're still in shock. It's so surreal," She said. The Latest: Hurricane Milton takes aim at Tampa Bay, Florida, as a Category 4 storm Griffith also said their home and two cars flooded when Helene hit just 12 days ago. Over the last few days, they've been trying to pick up the pieces and prepare for Milton before heading up north to evacuate. "You get up. You have no time to think about it. You get up, and you move forward. There is no normal," she said. Jumping on a jet and evacuating came at a steep cost for some travelers from Tampa. "35,000 miles, plus $569 for a round trip. That's considerably higher than it was even a day or two before," said another traveler. WATCH: Arlington County crews make rescue in Southwest Virginia after Hurricane Helene sparks flooding The Griffiths aren't sure when they'll be able to return home to Florida, but they're hoping for more "little wins" once the storm passes. "When we got our power back, or you find something in the wreckage, those are big wins for the day. That's what I kept saying to everyone. The little wins, they're big wins to us," Griffith said.