Florida's largest airport is picking up the pieces after taking a hit from Hurricane Irma -- and it's going to start slowly resuming operations on Tuesday morning.
Miami International Airport was closed Sunday and Monday after sustaining "significant water damage throughout," according to CEO Emilio Gonzalez.
Limited operations are starting up again at 7 a.m. Tuesday as the 12th largest airport in the country begins its push back to full strength. No commercial flights have departed since Friday evening.
It's been a slow process restarting the American Airlines hub. The airport tweeted late Sunday that it needed to assess the damage before deciding whether passenger flights could resume Tuesday.
Miami airport's difficulties add to the transportation chaos Irma has inflicted on Florida residents. The situation is a particular headache for American (AAL), the country's largest air carrier.
Related: Tallahassee airport shutting down ahead of Irma
Leading up to the storm, American said any resumption of flying to Miami would be dependent on whether airport and road conditions would allow its staff to actually reach their stations.
American on Monday flew in staff members and supplies in preparation for the Tuesday resumption of flights.
The airport hasn't detailed the extent of the damage it suffered. But its assessments in recent days have looked for issues like water damage to the massive airport's concourses, fallen trees and damage to its fuel distribution systems, Gonzalez said.
Related: The financial toll of two giant hurricanes
Nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is also set to reopen at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Irma worked its way up the state late Sunday, battering major airports in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville with hurricane force winds. All three were slated to reopen with limited commercial service on Tuesday.
And the storm caused problems for areas north of Florida, including Atlanta, home to the busiest airport in the world.
Delta Air Lines (DAL), which is based in Atlanta, said that more than 1,100 flights were canceled and 65 diverted to other airports as result of Irma.
