Hurricane shelters open in Macon, Middle Georgia ahead of Hurricane Milton. What to know
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Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton is headed toward Florida as a category 4 hurricane, with some experts are calling it “an extremely dangerous threat.” Georgia’s conditions are expected to be the worst Wednesday and Thursday.
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The American Red Cross is partnering with local governments across Middle Georgia to open hurricane shelters for people fleeing Hurricane Milton.
The storm — which is rapidly intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico and is set to make landfall in west Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday — has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The hurricane comes on the heels of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the South.
Many evacuees are looking to Georgia for safety. The Red Cross and local governments are opening eight shelters across the state, according to GEMA.
Many nonprofits and private businesses are also opening shelters.
Bibb County officials said they are working with the Red Cross to open two shelters located at the South Bibb Recreation Center and the Delores A. Brooks Recreation Center.
Houston County is also opening a shelter at the Larry Walker Arena at Central Georgia Technical College.
As Red Cross volunteers and the first evacuees arrived at the South Bibb Recreation Center Tuesday afternoon, TV news headlines blared through the lobby, warning that Milton could be a storm of historic proportions.
Pauline Rasmussen, who came from The Villages, Florida, evacuated with her husband and dog. Her husband was initially hesitant to evacuate, but Rasmussen threatened to leave without him if he didn’t go.
She saw information about the shelter online, and she and her husband took backroads north to avoid highways clogged by traffic.
“I’m afraid of what we’re going to hear about our property just after two or three days of hearing all the warnings,” Rasmussen said.
Chris Walsh, a spokesman for the Red Cross, said the Red Cross plans in advance for hurricane season to make sure it’s prepared to open shelters. Shelters are critical to hurricane evacuations because hotels in safe areas fill quickly and not everyone has family they can stay with.
“Hotels are booked because people are on the run,” Walsh said. “They are trying to find somewhere, and (hotels) fill up quick.”
Walsh said that not all shelters offer overnight services, but at the non-overnight shelters volunteers will help evacuees find a shelter where they can stay. Evacuees can look online on the Red Cross website to see a map of evacuation shelters across the country.
This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 5:30 PM.
