ATLANTA — The Georgia Emergency Management Agency says they will be opening six shelter locations for people evacuating from counties along the Georgia coast ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered a mandatory evacuation of all coastal areas east of Interstate 95, as well as low-lying areas potentially in the path of the dangerous storm.
Contraflow lane reversal on I-16 will begin Tuesday morning to help speed evacuation from Savannah and surrounding areas.
The GEMA shelter locations will be located in Bibb, Columbia, Coffee, Laurens, McDuffie and Ware counties.
So far, there are three shelters open and ready to receive evacuees:
Bibb County: South Bibb Recreation Center
7035 Houston Road
Macon, GA 31216
Laurens County: Dublin High School
1127 Hillcrest Parkway
Dublin, GA 31021
East Laurens High School
920 US Highway 80 East
East Dublin, GA 31027
Coffee County: Central Square Complex
216 South Madison Avenue
Douglas, GA 31533
McDuffie County: Sweetwater Recreation Park
180 Sweetwater Road
Thomson, GA 30824
Ware County: Ware County High School
700 Victory Drive
Waycross, GA 31503
State officials said that additional locations will be added over the coming hours and days.
The Atlanta Motor Speedway has opened its camping facilities to evacuees seeking refuge from Hurricane Dorian.
AMS ordinarily houses thousands of campers for its annual NASCAR weekend each spring. Now, it is opening its gates, free of charges for dry RV and tent campers at its Legends Campground.
There are also a limited number of campground spaces with water, power and sewer services for the nominal fee of $20 at the Premier Campground.
In addition, AMS is opening the Rinnai Shower Station camper bathhouse which will allow evacuees free access to hot showers and restroom facilities during their stay.
Georgia Power says their Lake Oconee Campground is also open for Hurricane Dorian evacuees.
For more information, travelers can call toll-free 855-607-6462 to check specific availability and to register.
Several pet shelters are open to assist with placement of pets for evacuees. It is recommended to contact the shelter directly to check availability:
- Bibb County Animal Control: 4214 Fulton Mill Road, Macon, GA 31216 (Kennels)
- Okefenokee Fairgrounds: 2451 Knight Avenue, Waycross, GA 31503 (Kennels, Livestock)
- Augusta Animal Services: 4164 Mack Lane Road, Augusta, GA 30906 (Kennels)
- Hippodrome Horse Complex: 5540 Jefferson Davis Highway, Beech Island, SC 29842 (Equine)
- McDuffie Animal Control: 802 White Oak Road, Thomson, GA 30824 (Kennels)
- Belle Meade Hunt: 3532 Wrightsboro Road, Thomson, GA 30824 (Equine)
- Pine Top Farm: 1432 Augusta Highway, Thomson, GA 30824 (Equine)
- Southern Pines: 575 Southern Pines Road, Dublin 31021 (Equine)
- South Eastern Arena: 2410 Arena Road, Unadilla, GA 31091 (Equine)
- Paws Humane Society: 4900 Milgen Road, Columbus 31909 (Kennels)
State of Georgia Resources
- View up-to-date emergency declarations from Governor Kemp here.
- View updates from Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency here.
- Visit Ready Georgia for weather alerts and emergency preparedness tips.
- Follow Georgia 511 for real-time traffic information.
- Learn what to do before, during, and after a flood here.
- Report power outages by contacting your power provider. The two main providers in Georgia are:
- Call your local non-emergency police line to report a downed tree on a main road.
Please stay aware of any forecast changes as there are still many questions that remain about where Dorian goes after impacting Florida.
WATCHING DORIAN |