Evacuees look to Macon, Middle Georgia for safety to escape hurricanes Milton, Helene

When Pauline Rasmussen heard there was a storm coming, she knew she had to leave.

A resident of The Villages, Florida, Rasmussen saw the early reports of Hurricane Milton as it made its way across the Atlantic toward her home state and knew it was going to be a storm of historic proportions.

The storm, which is set to make landfall near Tampa Wednesday night, is predicted to be a category 4 hurricane. It is reported to be among the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin.

Rasmussen looked online for where to go, and found a shelter in Macon at the South Bibb Recreation Center. She, her husband and her dog piled into the car and headed north.

“I would tell everybody to just leave and get as far away as you can for your own sake,” Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen isn’t alone. As hurricanes of historic proportions have battered the South this fall, many people fleeing storms and the ensuing destruction have looked to Middle Georgia for refuge.

Preparing for the storm

As Floridians boarded up their houses and loaded their cars to leave ahead of Hurricane Milton, Middle Georgia was making preparations of its own.

Three shelters run by local governments and the American Red Cross opened in Bibb and Houston counties. The shelter Rasmussen found online was one of them.

Numerous other shelters at nonprofits and private businesses have also opened to take people fleeing from the storm. Other evacuees are staying with family members in Middle Georgia.

Red Cross spokesperson Chris Walsh said the Red Cross prepares for hurricane season, which occurs during the summer and fall, months in advance. To host a shelter, local governments offer facilities to the Red Cross, who then vet it to make sure it has adequate space and accommodations.

The shelters are especially necessary because many hotels fill up with evacuees, and not everyone has family outside of the danger zone.

“Hotels are booked because people are on the run,” Walsh said. “They are trying to find somewhere, and (hotels) fill up quick.”

As Hurricane Milton moved toward south Florida over the last week, thousands evacuated. Many people were concerned about the destruction the storm would bring, while others were ordered to evacuate by local authorities.

Gas stations ran out of fuel, and roads backed up for miles. Rasmussen said she and her husband took back roads to reach Macon to avoid getting trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate. They also couldn’t find a place to stop for the night, and had to sleep in a Walmart parking lot.

“It’s better than sitting in traffic,” Rasmussen said. “That hurricane could come in while you’re sitting in traffic.”

One after the other

Hurricane Milton came just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. This means Middle Georgia was already seeing people fleeing hurricanes.

Katie Carmichael went to stay with family in Fort Valley after her home in Baxley was destroyed during Hurricane Helene. While she wanted to stay and help with recovery, she had no power and felt it was safer to leave.

“We knew we didn’t have a generator, we knew we didn’t have any way to try and preserve our food or (care for) our pets,” Carmichael said. “I knew at that point we wouldn’t have power back for a while.”

Carmichael described the towns she passed through as resembling war zones, with fallen trees blocking roads and traffic lights hanging on to their wires by a thread. Even as she was staying in Fort Valley, she returned to Baxley for day trips to help with recovery efforts and realized hundreds in her community were without water and power.

During a visit to Macon on Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the state is prepared for the dual issue of recovering after Hurricane Helene and preparing for evacuees from Hurricane Milton.

Kemp said he sent National Guard units to Florida, and is assisting the Georgia Emergency Management Agency as it opens shelters for evacuees across the state. He is also working with the state legislature to help communities in Georgia rebuild after Hurricane Helene.

“I know people are tired of these storms, but we just have to persevere during these times,” Kemp said.

This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 5:00 AM.