SAN ANTONIO -- A truck stop in east Bexar County served as an impromptu shelter for Hurricane Ike evacuees Friday night.

Many families were forced to sleep in their vehicles in the parking of the Flying J Travel Center off Interstate 10 and Foster Road for various reasons.

Video: KSAT 12 Coverage

Evacuees said they either didn't know there were shelters in San Antonio or didn't know where they were.

"I was trying to find something, but I got lost," said an evacuee from Pearland. "I don't have much gas to go running around."

Others like Jodi Esquivel said they couldn't afford a hotel room or couldn't find a hotel with vacancies.

"They're all booked," she said. "We've been stopping and stopping, so we figured we'd be safe at a truck stop."

Despite owning a Suburban, the vehicle was tight quarters for Brandy Seekford, her husband and five children.

It's big, but it's not that big," she said of the cramped conditions.

Many of the evacuees said depending on how much damage Ike delivered to their neighborhoods and communities will determine how much longer they'll hang out at the truck stop.