ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, speaking from the GEMA state operations center in Atlanta, issued a short video Sunday afternoon after a joint conference call with the governors of the states of other states along the Atlantic coast which are looking at potential effects from Hurricane Dorian.
Kemp tweeted out a 37-second long video to update citizens on the state's plans ahead of catastrophic Hurricane Dorian.
"I just wanted to give you a quick update on Hurricane Dorian. I've just been here at the Operations Center for a couple of hours -- got an update from GEMA; just got off a conference call with President Trump and the FEMA folks and governors McMaster, Cooper, DeSantis and I, about the path of the hurricane and the preparations," Kemp said in the tweet. "Still a massive storm; still heading our way. We're hoping it's going to turn north, but we need folks to remain vigilant and flexible. And we will certainly keep you updated over the next 12 to 24 hours. Thank you."
The historic Category 5 storm began battering the Bahamas with sustained 185 mph winds on Sunday and continued its slow march toward the U.S. East Coast.
As it moved toward the shore, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said the massive storm was expected to turn northward and move up the coastline, bringing dangerous storm surge conditions to parts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Ahead of its arrival, local officials in Florida, in consultation with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of coastal areas of that state, in order to safeguard individuals who may be in the path of the damaging hurricane winds.
In a news conference Sunday afternoon, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told people across that state to "be prepared" for anything ahead of Dorian, preparing to mobilize up to 1,000 of that state's National Guard troops to help with resources in South Carolina.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has also declared a state of emergency, encouraging that state's residents to be ready.
Cooper said North Carolina is "hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst."
He told residents that everyone there knows from prior experience that a slow-moving storm can be very dangerous and that North Carolina residents should make sure they are ready for the storm and for all types of disasters.
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