"I just wasn't expecting a hurricane to hit my part of Florida," the 32-year-old social worker said. "The one time I take the watches and warnings for granted is the one time I should have heeded them. I just hope everything is still in tact."

"I just hope the damage is not as bad as I saw on television," said Winston Wright, as he collected his luggage from the baggage claim at MIA. "All I saw while in Texas was how power lines were down and how the water flooded many areas I even heard there was a death caused by [Frances]. In any case, I hope the city isn't in shambles."

"I know about rebuilding," Wright, who lived in Homestead during Hurricane Andrew. "One thing about Miami, you can't keep this city down. To us, this is just a minor occurrence that will make our city that much stronger."