With Milton charging at Florida’s west coast as a powerful hurricane, several areas are under mandatory evacuation orders.
That means interstates and highways leading out of the state were already starting to clog Tuesday, and the situation will only get worse as Milton’s landfall nears. Florida’s Department of Transportation is urging residents in the storm’s path to evacuate as early as possible, as Milton’s outer rain bands will reach the state before the center of the storm hits land.
Amid those bands could lurk tornadoes, meteorologists have warned. To help people get out of harm’s way faster, Georgia’s Peach Pass announced that I-75′s south express lanes will be turned into northbound lanes.
The Category 5 storm — forecast to slightly weaken ahead of landfall — is expected to reach Florida’s coast near Tampa late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Here are some key things to know if you or your loved ones are trying to escape the storm’s path.
Where can evacuees stay in Georgia?
The Georgia Department of Economic Development has launched a website that provides guidance on areas in Georgia that are open to evacuees, lodging availability, visitor services and other emergency resources.
The state’s Visitor Information Centers are also ready to assist evacuees with identifying accommodations and travel information. Each facility offers restrooms, parking, outdoor space to walk pets and more. All centers are open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Restrooms are open 24/7 at the Valdosta, St. Marys and Port Wentworth (Savannah) centers, which are situated on or near evacuation routes. Any changes in operating hours will be updated on the Travel Alert webpage as they occur. Locations and contact information for the Georgia Visitor Information Centers can be found here.
Several Georgia campgrounds and businesses are opening their sites to evacuees.
» Halidom Eatery, a food hall at 1341 Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta, announced on social media it will open the field on its property as a free camping ground that can fit about 200 RVs. The venue will open its bathrooms to campers. A Piggly Wiggly is next door for those who need food and additional supplies. Those interested in camping can call or email Brad Burgess at 404-582-8868 or bburgess@istmanagement.com, or send a direct message to the Halidom Eatery’s Instagram or Facebook page to ensure the campground isn’t full.
» The National Indoor RV Centers said it is opening its Atlanta and Nashville locations to evacuees. The Atlanta site is located just outside Lawrenceville at 1350 Hurricane Shoals Road. Those who are seeking accommodations should call 800-250-6354.
» Atlanta Motor Speedway will provide dry camping free of charge in its Legends Premium Campground for RVs and Legends Tent Campground for pop-up campers and tents. Evacuees staying in these campgrounds will also have complimentary access to a nearby shower house while staying at the speedway, and a limited number of camping spaces with water, power and sewer hookups will be available for $35 per night. Those looking for accommodations should call 229-890-5425 for more information. After regular business hours, call 229-921-4846.
» In South Georgia, Moultrie’s Spence Field Campground is open for free to evacuees for three nights. RV sites there include electric, water, a dump station and bathroom facilities. To inquire about availability, call 229-890-5425 for more information. After regular business hours, call 229-921-4846.
» Further north in Senoia, Senoia Raceway is providing free camping, though no utility hookups are available. Anyone planning to camp there should call 770-599-6161.
The Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association also has a list of resources for evacuees seeking shelter, along with a list of booking contacts for major hotels in the state.
In Macon, hotels were already approaching capacity for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Updated information for evacuees staying in Macon can be found at VisitMacon.org.
Georgia State parks are also open for RVs and campers. Call parks directly to check availability. Park phone numbers can be found at https://gastateparks.org/Milton.
Additionally, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is set to open a handful of public shelters across Middle Georgia, all of which open at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
» Monroe County: Maynard Baptist Church, 1195 Juliette Road, Forsyth.
» Houston County: Central Georgia Technical College’s Larry Walker Arena, 80 Cohen Walker Drive, Warner Robins.
» Crisp County: Cordele First Church, 302 East 12th Avenue, Cordele.
» Bibb County: Delores A. Brooks Recreation Center, 3326 Ocmulgee East Boulevard and South Bibb Recreation Center 7035 Houston Road, both in Macon.
» Butts County: Jackson First Baptist, 1227 West 3rd Street, Jackson.
For up-to-date shelter information, click here.
Who else can help?
U-Haul storage companies across Georgia, all over Florida and in North and South Carolina are providing free self-storage facilities for 30 days for victims of Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, including evacuees and local residents preparing for or already dealing with flooding. People seeking free storage services should contact the regional office that oversees operations in their city.
Where can I get gas?
GasBuddy has activated a fuel availability tracker in areas affected by Milton. It can be found here or by downloading the GasBuddy app.
GasBuddy is a travel and navigation app that covers more than 150,000 gas stations in North America and uses crowdsourced information to keep track of prices. When the tracker features are activated for an area, the app can differentiate stations that have no gasoline, no diesel or no power so that motorists can try other stations, the company describes.
The tracker is updated in real time by users who report prices and outages as they see them.
Areas to avoid
In a social media post, GEMA welcomed Floridians to seek refuge in Georgia, but urged evacuees to head further north to Atlanta, Columbus, Macon and Albany as resources are already spread thin in southern parts of the state after Hurricane Helene.
Cities like Brunswick, Augusta and Valdosta are still grappling with power outages and heavy damage from the storm that pummeled the state less than two weeks ago.
Other things to know
Tampa International Airport is closing Tuesday, followed by closures of airports in Sarasota/Bradenton and St. Petersburg and the suspension of airline flights to and from Orlando International.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta had more than 50 flights canceled as of Tuesday morning, many of them to or from Tampa and Sarasota/Bradenton. Some flights from Asheville continue to be canceled since Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina less than two weeks ago.
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