Hurricane Dorian gets closer to shore as Georgia gets ready

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The National Hurricane Center said the storm category had essentially stalled in the Bahamas on Monday afternoon. But with sustained winds approaching 145 mph, Dorian still raced a big shot.

Governor Brian Kemp issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents to the east of I-95 in six Georgia counties. The governor urged residents to heed this warning and added that those who do not risk putting their lives at risk.

"We can not stress enough that Hurricane Dorian remains a significant threat to Georgia," Kemp said at a press conference in Savannah on Monday.

Liberty County Emergency Management Director Larry Logan said some residents had been evacuated, but many were looking to see what the storm was doing.

Logan said it would be a mistake. With mandatory evacuation orders from South Carolina to Florida, he added that the more people wait to evacuate, the more likely they will get stuck in traffic.

Liberty County also helps residents protect their property by providing sand and bags – and many people benefit.

"We have just gone through about 8,000 bags today," said Logan. "People came en masse, they filled sandbags and we went out completely."

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Logan said the county was looking for more bags.

The storm gradually lost momentum as it crossed the Bahamas. Brian Monahan, a meteorologist at Channel 2, said Dorian was still dangerous.

"It's a bit weakened," Monahan said, "but it's still a major hurricane."

As the storm headed for the coast, President Trump signed an emergency declaration for Georgia. This ensures that federal emergency assistance is available to respond to areas affected by Dorian.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency opens six hospitality centers: Bibb, Columbia, Coffee, Laurens, McDuffie and Ware. The Atlanta Motor Speedway also opens its camping facilities to evacuees.

To facilitate evacuation, all I-16 lanes will be heading west from 8 am Tuesday. Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry urged residents to plan their escape route.

"It's about safety, not speed," McMurry said Monday morning. "We ask everyone to plan ahead, pre-screen your escape route with 511, carry the necessary supplies and exercise patience and discretion. We are all in the same boat. "

Hurricane monitoring is in effect for the Georgian coast. The National Hurricane Center said the storm "would be moving dangerously close to the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night and Thursday."

Coastal Georgia is preparing to receive 4 to 8 inches of rain this week, including 10 inches in remote areas.

"If the storm stays offshore as expected, the impacts on the Georgian coast will be stormy tropical force winds, heavy rains and coastal flooding," said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.

Nitz said that a 3 to 6 foot storm surge, combined with large waves, would result in significant beach erosion.

But the Atlanta subway could hardly notice the storm.

"You may notice some extra clouds, especially in East Atlanta," Monahan said. "It's going to be a little cool, but that's about it. No rain."

3 pm update: Hurricane Dorian continues to move to Florida as residents of the Georgian coast prepare for the onset of the storm on Wednesday.

This afternoon, the National Hurricane Center announced that the Category 4 storm with sustained winds reaching 150 mph continued to hit Grand Bahama Island. They are expected to land on the Florida coast tonight, "dangerously close to the shores of Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night and Thursday," the hurricane center said.

The mandatory evacuation order of Governor Brian Kemp – targeting residents of six counties of Georgia east of I-95 – took effect at noon today.

Coastal residents spent Monday morning preparing for the storm. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency opens six hospitality centers: Bibb, Columbia, Coffee, Laurens, McDuffie and Ware. Atlanta Motor Speedway opens its camping facilities to the evacuees. You can find more information about shelters here.

12:45 update: Governor Brian Kemp has urged some coastal residents of Georgia to respond to calls to evacuate in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

The governor issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents of eastern I-95 in six counties of Georgia. The order took effect at noon.

At a press conference Monday morning in Savannah, the governor said that the state had taken many steps to ensure the safety of Georgia's residents during the storm. But he added that those who did not consider the evacuation order risked putting their lives in danger.

"We can not stress enough that Hurricane Dorian remains a significant threat to Georgia," Kemp said.

The National Hurricane Center downgraded Dorian to a Category 4 storm earlier today. Brian Monahan, a meteorologist with Channel 2 Action News, said the storm was still dangerous.

"It's a little weak," he said, "but it's still a major hurricane."

Dorian should bring torrential rains and strong winds to the coast. But the Atlanta subway could barely notice the storm when it reaches Georgia on Wednesday.

"You may notice some extra clouds, especially in East Atlanta," Monahan said. "It's going to be a little cool, but that's about it. No rain."

Update of 11h: Hurricane Dorian is slowly moving to the Florida coast and could reach Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night.

At 11 am, the National Hurricane Center lowered the storm into a Category 4 hurricane, but said it remained "extremely dangerous," with winds approaching 155 mph.

The hurricane center said the storm would move near the east coast of Florida late at night, then "would move dangerously close to the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night and Thursday."

The hurricane center extended storm surge surveillance north along the Georgia coast to the Savannah River.

He had extended hurricane surveillance north to Altamaha Sound in Georgia.

President Trump has signed an emergency declaration for Georgia, guaranteeing the availability of federal emergency assistance to intervene in areas affected by Dorian.

An eviction order targeting neighborhoods in six counties located east of I-95 takes effect at noon. And all lanes on I-16 will follow the west from 8 am Tuesday.

Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry urged residents to plan their escape route.

Original message: Hurricane Dorian is still hitting the Bahamas this morning, but is expected to head north and the Florida coast tonight.

The Category 5 storm, slow but powerful, hovered over the island of Grand Bahama on Monday morning. He could reach the Georgian coast as early as Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center announced that Dorian was moving west at a speed of only 1 mph, with sustained maximum winds of around 165 mph.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan presented an overview of #Dorian's slowness: "It's like taking a whole day to travel (continuously) from Atlanta to Blairsville."

Hurricane strength extends to the center of Dorian up to 45 miles (45 km) and the force of tropical storms up to 140 miles (140 miles).

The National Hurricane Center has announced that Dorian will gradually weaken, but "should remain a powerful hurricane in the next two days."

Hurricane conditions are expected in Florida by the end of the night or Tuesday. In addition to strong winds, torrential rains are expected on the shores of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas in the coming days.

Rainfall is expected to be 4 to 8 inches along the Georgia coast and isolated areas could reach 10 inches. The Carolinas could see 5 to 10 inches of rain, including 15 inches in isolated areas.

On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp ordered the evacuation of six Georgia counties east of I-95 as Hurricane Dorian approached. The evacuation is expected to take effect today at noon in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh. The evacuation zone includes the savanna zone.

To facilitate evacuation, the 16 lanes of Interstate 16 will be heading west from 8 am Tuesday.

The exact path of the storm is not clear. But even if it never touches the ground, "it's going to have huge impacts all along the southeast coast," said Monahan.