Red Cross shelters to open:
About 5 p.m. the Red Cross scheduled five shelters to open tonight for those affected by Hurricane Hermine. Additional shelters will be opened if needed. The Red Cross will continue to monitor and respond to other areas as storms roll through the state this week.
Tift County
Tift County Recreation Center
401 Victory Dr, Tifton, GA 31794
Lowndes County
Mathis Municipal Auditorium
2300 North Ashley Street, Valdosta GA 31602
Ware County
Waycross Middle School
700 Central Ave, Waycross, GA 31501
Coffee County
Center Square Complex Exhibit Hall B
200 South Madison Avenue Douglas, GA 31533
Wayne County
Wayne County High School
1 Jacket Drive, Jesup, GA 31545
How to Find a Red Cross Shelter:
The fastest way to find an open Red Cross shelter is to visit redcross.org or view open shelters through any of our free mobile disaster apps. The shelter information on redcross.org is automatically refreshed every 30 minutes to show the latest data. If you don’t have access to a computer or smart phone, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to be connected to your local chapter. Alternatively, try calling 211, if this service is available in your area, or your local emergency management office of help.
South Georgians are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Hermine, which had outer bands bringing waves and rain shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.
Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in 56 counties in southeast Georgia.
“We are working to ensure counties in south, central and coastal Georgia have access to the state resources necessary to prepare and respond when (Hurricane) Hermine enters Georgia,” Deal said in a news release. “Our Emergency Operations Command will continue closely monitoring this storm, and additional counties may be included in this declaration as needed.”
Hermine, a category 1 hurricane, is expected to make landfall about 11 p.m. Thursday, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
PHOTOS: Georgia, Florida prep for Hurricane Hermine
This will be the first hurricane to hit Florida since 2005.
Public parks, schools and 23 high school football games have been canceled or postponed because of Hermine. About 5 p.m., the Red Cross scheduled five shelters to open Thursday night for those affected. Valdosta State University canceled classes starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Friday. Dorms and dining halls will remain open.
Georgia Southern’s Statesboro campus & Coastal Georgia Center and Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah are closed Friday. Also, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is closed Friday.
Nitz said the weather will rapidly decline over the next few hours.
“Overnight and into early (Friday) morning, Hermine weakens slightly to a tropical storm, with 60 mph sustained winds and the potential for flooding rainfall, and there will be some impacts on the backside of this system for metro Atlanta,” Nitz said.
WATCH: Amazing view of hurricanes from space
Areas south of Athens into Putnam County and east central Georgia could pick up between 3 and 5 inches of rain through Saturday morning.
There is a 30 percent chance of rain Thursday, a 70 percent chance Friday and a 10 percent chance Saturday in metro Atlanta.
“So we are going to be looking at some minimal hurricane winds of 75 miles an hour, which can do plenty of damage,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. “And of course that onshore flow can bring some flooding with very heavy rain across this area.”
Flash-flood watches will remain in effect through 8 a.m. Saturday in Putnam County and portions of central, east and South Georgia, according to the National Weather Service.
The more damaging impacts, however, are expected to pass South Georgia by Saturday morning.
Temperatures were 76 degrees in Atlanta, 77 in Blairsville and 83 in Griffin just before 8 p.m. Thursday.
About the Author
