Florida's wealthy residents have been chartering private jets to hurry away from the state in the days before Hurricane Ian

In the days before Hurricane Ian tore into the state, wealthy residents jumped on private jets to flee, according to a report.

Flexjet said that requests for flights out of Florida had mounted in the run-up to the storm, with private-aircraft owners planning their escapes over the weekend.

Flexjet said the request volume has been manageable. One of the main areas being battered by the storm is the private terminal in Naples.

Private jet services are advertised in Florida. There is a page on the website that says "Need to fly out of Florida?" We will be able to match you with favorable availability and pricing if you decide to fly sooner.

Private jet flights out of the state increased by more than 70% on Monday and Tuesday compared to two weeks ago, according to a report.

The jets went to destinations like Chicago, Dallas, and vacation spots like Mexico, Aspen, Colorado, and Massachusetts.

Flexjet said that it was prepared for a surge in flights both in and out of Florida after the storm and that it had received requests from people looking to fly into Florida.

Commercial airlines have not been in the state of Florida. Ian was given a "wide birth" on Tuesday, according to a map of flights shared by FlightAware.

The airports that have stopped commercial operations over the last two days are in Florida. Around 2,000 flights to or from the biggest airports in the area were canceled on Wednesday.

Ian was a Category 4 storm when it hit, but it has since been weakened to a tropical storm. More than 2.5 million homes in southwest Florida have been without power as a result of it. Some hotels are lowering their rates to make it easier for people to shelter from the storm.

There is a danger of "life threatening" storm surge along the coast of northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina over Thursday and Friday according to the National Hurricane Center.

"Widespread, life threatening catastrophic flooding, with major to record river flooding, is expected to continue in central Florida through to the end of the week," it said.