Georgia Declares Emergency as Hurricane Florence Approaches

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in the state ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence, which dipped down in trajectory earlier this week.

Being dubbed the “Storm of a Lifetime,” the Category-3 hurricane led to a declaration announcement of all Georgia’s 159 counties, CNN reports.

“The state is mobilizing all available resources to ensure public safety ahead of Hurricane Florence,” Deal said. “In light of the storm’s forecasted southward track after making landfall, I encourage Georgians to be prepared for the inland effects of the storm as well as the ensuing storm surge in coastal areas.”

The state joins the list of states engaging in emergency preparation ahead of the strong storm including Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Shortly after the news that the storm has changed course to affect Georgia after landfall, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to motivate citizens of the state to prepare for the dangerous weather.

“Hurricane Florence may now be dipping a bit south and hitting a portion of the Great State of Georgia,” he wrote on Twitter. “Be ready, be prepared!”

According to the latest forecasts, CNN writes, Hurricane Florence will stay off the coast of North Carolina later this week before it turns left and heads South.

According to AJC, state officials are concerned about strong winds and heavy rain that could soak Georgia even if Florence makes landfall further up the coast. As of now, Georgia is not under hurricane watch or warning.

The outlet writes that more than 1.7 million people in the Carolinas and Virginia are currently under evacuation orders, with officials warning that the storm could bring devastating floods, rain and storm surges.

The chief administrator of FEMA said on CBS This Morning Tuesday that the effects of Florence will leave a lasting mark on the region.

“It’s not a question of ‘if’ Florence is going to impact the Carolinas and Virginia,” he said. “It’s going to, and it’s going to be a devastating storm. I’m a North Carolina native, I grew up in Newton, North Carolina. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo — the last category 4 hurricane storm in the Carolinas came right over my house. We were out of power for ten days. I was out of school, if I remember, for two weeks, and this storm is setting up very similar to that one.”

Florence is expected to make landfall Thursday morning, and linger in the area for some time before moving inland.