Ga. Governor lifts mandatory evacuation for multiple coastal counties

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has issued an executive order lifting the mandatory evacuation for Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh counties.

Bryan, Chatham, and Glynn County residents are now able to re-enter the county without restrictions.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has issued a mandatory evacuation for multiple Georgia counties ahead of Hurricane Dorian. The order goes into effect Monday, Sept. 2 at noon.

The order includes individuals east of I-95 in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh counties. Gov. Kemp tweeted the following:

The governor says due to the possibility of downed trees, power lines, debris, and flooding, people could become isolated from essential services, especially those on our barrier islands. That’s why he declared a state of emergency for these 12 southeast Georgia counties.

Governor Kemp says contraflow will begin on I-16 at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3. This new traffic pattern will allow traffic to flow westerly on all four lanes of I-16 towards Macon.

“There’s a lot going on. There’s going to be a lot of people moving, and we need to have a process, and we tried to lay that out in a way that we can do that where we don’t have a lot of grid-lock, and also be able to get supplies in that we need like gasoline and other things. So, that’s really my biggest concern right now, and I know the locals will continue to keep us up to speed on their needs," Gov. Kemp said.

Here is more detailed information on the traffic shift to I-16 from the Georgia Department of Transportation:

The Evacuation Assembly Area will open at the Savannah Civic Center at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to assist people that cannot evacuate themselves from Chatham County. People can take a Chatham Area Transit (CAT) bus to the Civic Center free of charge starting 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Citizens will be transported from the EAA to an inland county shelter via a charter bus.

To ensure a place on the shuttles, residents should plan to arrive at the EAA in the morning.

The EAA requests the following:

• No more than two bags or pieces of luggage per person.
• If evacuating with an animal, only domesticated animals will be accepted. Animals should be in a crate and have shot records.

Six shelter locations have been identified in Bibb, Columbia, Coffee, Laurens, McDuffie and Ware counties.

Currently. the following shelters are OPEN and ready to receive evacuees:

• Bibb County
• Laurens County
• Coffee County
• McDuffie County
• Ware County
• Richmond County

More locations will be added in the coming hours/days.

If you are looking for accommodations in Georgia, visit the Official Georgia Tourism and Travel website at https://www.exploregeorgia.org/travel-alerts.

Gov. Kemp signed another executive order on Monday, Sept. 2 that authorized the Department of Defense to provide up to 2,000 Georgia National Guardsmen for Hurricane Dorian preparation, response and recovery.

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