JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Motel 6 is closing its locations in Jacksonville without warning, and those who had evacuated there are now forced to find shelter from the storm somewhere else.
News4Jax has received phone calls and emails from several people staying at the Motel 6 in Argyle Forest and the Studio 6 motel in Baymeadows, wondering what they can do now.
Patricia Gomer said she booked her reservation at the Motel 6 in Argyle Forest days in advance to evacuate from Hurricane Irma, but now she has nowhere to go after the hotel sent an unexpected notice saying they are closing for the storm.
"There are no reservations anywhere else, even as far as Nashville," Gomer said.
The Red Roof Inn and the Quality Inn next to the Motel 6 are still staying open, but those staying at the Motel 6 are wondering why it has to close, especially since these hotels aren't in an evacuation zone.
"I think the corporate decision is wrong, that they should not be doing this to people in a storm. This is a storm. This is a hurricane," Gomer said.
News4Jax contacted Motel 6 to find out why it closed at the last minute, but is still waiting to hear back.
"What worries me the most about the fact that you're not gonna be able to stay here, where I'm going and getting injured and hurt and even killed, I mean, we don't know. We don't know what the weather's going to do," Gomer said.
But the nearly 70-year-old said she just hopes she and her dogs don't end up riding out the hurricane in her car.
Those staying at Motel 6 and Studio 6 told News4Jax that they are going to be reimbursed for their stay if they've already paid.