Hurricane Irma Evacuation And Preparation Guide
Hurricane Irma has already left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean. Preparations are underway by those in the storm’s projected path in Florida and, later, Georgia.
Ian Brown / Associated Press
The Weather Channel is now predicting the metro Atlanta area will be along the direct path of Irma when it moves inland.
The now-Category 4 hurricane has already left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, killing at least 14 people, according to an NPR report.
In preparation for the storm’s arrival in Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal has issued a state of emergency for 30 coastal counties and a mandatory evacuation effective Saturday morning for areas of Georgia east of Interstate 95, as well as some areas west of the interstate.
In order to help you prepare, WABE has compiled a list of resources and information evacuees and metro Atlantans should keep on hand:
Evacuation
Deal issued an executive order Thursday calling for the mandatory evacuation of “all citizens east of Interstate 95 along Georgia’s coastline,” as well as the entirety of Chatham County and some areas west of the interstate.
In order to assist in the evacuation, the Georgia Department of Transportation will begin contraflow, a process that will change all eastbound lanes of Interstate 16 in Laurens into westbound travel lanes. Contraflow will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, the same time the evacuation will begin.
To accommodate the surge of evacuees from Florida and the Georgia coast, some venues have opened their campgrounds to evacuees free of charge.
The Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton has opened its RV and tent campgrounds to evacuees, who will have access to hot showers and restroom facilities.
The West Point Lake Holiday campground, 10 miles west of LaGrange, opened Thursday to evacuees. The campground requires evacuees to bring a form of identification that proves they reside within the evacuation zone and encourages them to call 706-884-6818 in advance.
The Georgia tourism page has published a map of all lodgings that maintain listings on ExploreGeorgia.org. Vacancies may not be reflected accurately on the map, and the website recommends calling any lodging in advance to confirm vacancy.
Al-Farooq Masjid and other Atlanta-area mosques have opened their doors as shelters for evacuees.
In metro Atlanta, the address to the closest mosque, Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta, is:
442 14th St. N.W,, Atlanta, Ga. 30318
A more complete list of mosques open as shelters or clothing and food distribution centers is available on the Al-Farooq Masjid website.
Additionally, the Red Cross has four shelters opening as of Friday:
- East Macon Park: Currently Open
3326 Ocmulgee E. Blvd., Macon, Ga. 31217 - North Macon Park Community Center: Currently Open
815 N. Macon Park Drive, Macon, Ga. 31210 - Waycross High School: Opens at 5 p.m. Friday
700 Victory Drive, Waycross, Ga. 31503 - Blackshear Trail Elementary School: Opens at 6 p.m. Friday
1001 Blackshear Road, Cordele, Ga. 31015
Preparedness
Whether you’re hunkering down in a metro Atlanta home or preparing to make the journey north from one of the evacuation areas, it is important to be fully stocked with supplies for the coming storm.
Ready.Gov has a guide to creating a “ready kit,” a kit with supplies to sit out or escape a pending emergency.
See below for a checklist of items to include in a ready kit, based off recommendations from Ready.Gov:
The Weather Channel is now predicting the metro Atlanta area will be along the direct path of Irma when it moves inland.
The now-Category 4 hurricane has already left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, killing at least 14 people, according to an NPR report.
In preparation for the storm’s arrival in Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal has issued a state of emergency for 30 coastal counties and a mandatory evacuation effective Saturday morning for areas of Georgia east of Interstate 95, as well as some areas west of the interstate.
In order to help you prepare, WABE has compiled a list of resources and information evacuees and metro Atlantans should keep on hand:
Evacuation
Deal issued an executive order Thursday calling for the mandatory evacuation of “all citizens east of Interstate 95 along Georgia’s coastline,” as well as the entirety of Chatham County and some areas west of the interstate.
In order to assist in the evacuation, the Georgia Department of Transportation will begin contraflow, a process that will change all eastbound lanes of Interstate 16 in Laurens into westbound travel lanes. Contraflow will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, the same time the evacuation will begin.
To accommodate the surge of evacuees from Florida and the Georgia coast, some venues have opened their campgrounds to evacuees free of charge.
[asset-images[{“caption”: “This map shows the mandatory evacuation area, which includes coastal areas east of I-95 and some areas west of the interstate.”, “fid”: “51867”, “style”: “offset_right”, “uri”: “public://201709/mandatory_evacuation_map_0.jpg”, “attribution”: “Credit Courtesy of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency”}]]
The Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton has opened its RV and tent campgrounds to evacuees, who will have access to hot showers and restroom facilities.
The West Point Lake Holiday campground, 10 miles west of LaGrange, opened Thursday to evacuees. The campground requires evacuees to bring a form of identification that proves they reside within the evacuation zone and encourages them to call 706-884-6818 in advance.
The Georgia tourism page has published a map of all lodgings that maintain listings on ExploreGeorgia.org. Vacancies may not be reflected accurately on the map, and the website recommends calling any lodging in advance to confirm vacancy.
Al-Farooq Masjid and other Atlanta-area mosques have opened their doors as shelters for evacuees.
In metro Atlanta, the address to the closest mosque, Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta, is:
442 14th St. N.W,, Atlanta, Ga. 30318
A more complete list of mosques open as shelters or clothing and food distribution centers is available on the Al-Farooq Masjid website.
Additionally, the Red Cross has four shelters opening as of Friday:
· East Macon Park: Currently Open
3326 Ocmulgee E. Blvd., Macon, Ga. 31217
· North Macon Park Community Center: Currently Open
815 N. Macon Park Drive, Macon, Ga. 31210
· Waycross High School: Opens at 5 p.m. Friday
700 Victory Drive, Waycross, Ga. 31503
· Blackshear Trail Elementary School: Opens at 6 p.m. Friday
1001 Blackshear Road, Cordele, Ga. 31015
Preparedness
Whether you’re hunkering down in a metro Atlanta home or preparing to make the journey north from one of the evacuation areas, it is important to be fully stocked with supplies for the coming storm.
Ready.Gov has a guide to creating a “ready kit,” a kit with supplies to sit out or escape a pending emergency.
See below for a checklist of items to include in a ready kit, based off recommendations from Ready.Gov:
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