Georgia parks and historical sites open to hurricane evacuees

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – Thousands of Florida residents are fleeing to Georgia ahead of Hurricane Milton and hotels and motels are filling up.

Hurricane update: Milton remains powerful Category 4 storm ahead of Florida landfall

Traffic on Interstate 75 was heavy on Tuesday and Florida residents told FOX 5 Atlanta that they spent hours on the road trying to escape the state before Milton arrived. 

Rest stops up and down Georgia highways were packed on Tuesday with families, including pets.

Florida residents arriving in Georgia ahead of Hurricane Milton

The evacuation has been further complicated by damage left behind by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago. 

Georgia officials are advising evacuees to avoid south Georgia and instead seek shelter in places like Albany, Columbus, Macon, and Atlanta. 

On Tuesday evening, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency posted a warning on social media that lodging in Georgia was filling up quickly. According to GEMA, several hotels were already sold out or had very few rooms left.

On Wednesday morning, Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites shared a post saying many state parks that still have cottages and campsites available for those who have left Florida and are seeking refuge. 

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Milton was once again classified as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. GEMA says that further strengthening is possible through tomorrow as it moves northeastward towards Florida. Although Milton is expected to weaken before making landfall, the wind field is also expected to expand, making it a much larger hurricane, which means its impacts will be felt even in south Georgia.

At this time, Milton is expected to make landfall near Tampa, Saint Petersburg and Sarasota on Wednesday evening. 

As a result, the following Georgia counties could receive 2-6 inches of rainfall and tropical storm force winds of 40-50 mph: Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham, Charlton, Ware, Echols, Clinch, Brantley, Pierce, Wayne, Long, Appling, Bacon, Atkinson, Lanier, Lowndes, and Brooks. Flash flooding is possible where the heaviest rainfall occurs — likely in Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Brantley, Charlton, and Ware Counties. Areas farther inland should receive less than 2 inches of rain and wind gusts should stay below 35 mph. The timing for impacts in Southeast Georgia (heavy rain and gusty winds) will be Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.

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Atlanta Motor Speedway has also opened an area for evacuees ahead of Hurricane Milton. Click here for more details.

Additionally, there are several shelters available. For an up-to-date list, click here.