As the winds and deluging rains from slow-moving Tropical Depression Florence moved across the Carolinas on Sunday, thousands of residents who fled to Georgia began making their way home.
“We are traveling back now,” Charleston, S.C., resident Towner Magill reported from a rest stop on I-16 south of Macon. He was preparing to start the water-themed Disney flick “Moana” to help kill the time for his daughters, 5-year-old Weller and 2-year-old Sally.
The Magills took the southerly route in hopes of avoiding the remnants of Florence — which came ashore in North Carolina as Category 1 hurricane on Friday and was still at tropical storm strength Saturday — and the thousands of fellow Carolinians heading back home via I-20. Even though emergency officials warned flooding continues to be a danger in the affected areas, Georgia’s role in sheltering our storm-tossed neighbors has started to wind down.
Terry Trowbridge, state parks operations manager for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said evacuees camping in state parks peaked Friday night at about 2,600 people. By midday Sunday, a third of them had left.
The state traditionally opens its parks to evacuees in storms, relaxing some rules and dropping some rates. The department estimates it can accommodate up to 40,000 evacuees in its 65 parks by using “dry camping” areas in parking lots and open fields not connected to water or power.
Trowbridge said most evacuees opt to stay in one of the park system’s 330 cabins or 2,500 regular campsites, but some opt to dry camp for free.
“We have a few dry campers at this time. Even though we had camping facilities we understand that people are trying to same money,” he said.
Building on lessons learned in past storms, Trowbridge said the park system dropped rules against housing pets in cabins designated pet-free. He said DNR did not want to discourage anyone from seeking shelter and the department will absorb the cost of cleaning the cabins once the emergency has ended.
The parks even sheltered a dozen horses spread across its four equine-friendly parks. Trowbridge said the department highlighted its horse facilities in advance of Florence.
“During (2017’s Hurricane) Irma we heard a lot of people wouldn’t leave the coast of Georgia because they didn’t want to leave their horses behind,” he said.
As evacuees prepare to return, relief workers are already on their way.
Ashley Henyan, spokesperson for the Red Cross of Georgia, said two volunteers set out from Macon in a 30-vehicle, multistate relief convoy. More volunteers will be dispatched once the organization gets a handle on where relief is needed, she said.
“In the coming days and weeks, I’m sure the Red Cross of Georgia will be sending more help,” she said.
Henyan said Red Cross-operated shelters from South Carolina to Maryland housed more than 20,000 Florence refugees over the weekend.
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For the Magill family, escaping from Florence to Atlanta became an “evacu-vacation,” he said.
Towner and his wife, Lucye Magill, took advantage of free tickets offered to evacuees to take their girls to their first Atlanta Braves game Saturday afternoon.
“I had never been to SunTrust (Park) and my kids had never been to a Braves game,” Towner Magill said. “It’s amazing.”
Towner grew up in Gwinnett County, attending Parkview High School before going to the University of Georgia. But he has lived in suburban Charleston for the past 14 years. He used to ride out bad storms, but now that he and his wife have children, he sees the wisdom in getting out.
“This is the fourth straight year we’ve evacuated,” he said. “When you have options, it makes sense to get out of town and have some fun.”
The Magills spent the weekend with Lucye’s parents before heading back to Charleston Sunday morning.
Charlestonians are calling Florence a near-miss as the storm’s path gave the coastal city little more than some breezy rain, while areas to the north were inundated with water.
“We are evacuees, but we are the lucky ones,” Towner said. “I don’t even think our power went off.”
Need help? The Red Cross of Georgia is available to assist Hurricane Florence evacuees with emergency needs. In Atlanta, call 404-876-3302 or toll-free 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Want to help? Go to redcross.org to donate or text 90999 to contribute $10 to the American Red Cross instantly.
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