A state of emergency has been declared in thirteen Georgia counties. (Twitter/@GeorgiaEM&HS)
UPDATE 10/6: A mandatory evacuation has been issued in the following Georgia counties: Bryan, Chatham, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency in 13 counties ahead of Hurricane Matthew.
The storm, which is currently a Category 3 but is expected to be upgraded to a Category 4 when it makes its way to Florida, is projected to pass near the Georgia coastline between Friday evening and Saturday morning.
A mandatory evacuation has been issued for Tybee Island, going into effect at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Atlantic Journal Constitution.
“We want to make sure that people are preparing for the worst,” Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman recently said. “We hope for the best but we have to be preparing for the possibility that this will be a direct hit.”
Governor Deal has not issued any other mandatory evacuations, but he said this may change if Matthew’s projected path is altered.
Here are the Georgia counties in which a state of emergency has been declared:
- Brantley
- Bryan
- Bulloch
- Camden
- Charlton
- Chatham
- Effingham
- Evans
- Glynn
- Liberty
- Long
- McIntosh
- Wayne
