Hurricane Irma: Paulding County Ready To Help

PAULDING COUNTY, GA — The Paulding County Sheriff's Office stands ready to assist with mitigating the devastation expected from Hurricane Irma, officials say.

Mandatory evacuations for half a million people will begin Saturday for the Savannah area as deadly Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic storm ever recorded, continues on a projected path that could take the strong Category 5 storm across Georgia on Monday, forecasts say. The storm is blamed for at least 10 deaths so far and was following a path that may have dire implications for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

On Thursday, Gov. Nathan Deal added 24 Georgia counties to the six on the coast that were already under a state of emergency, and Georgians were urged to prepare for strong winds, rain and flooding. Atlanta Motor Speedway is open to campers who need a place to stay, while the metro's hotels are nearly full of people fleeing the storm.

Watch: New Track Has Irma Directly Hitting South Florida

Cpl. Ashley Henson of the Paulding County Sheriff's Office said they are ready to help. "We are always ready to help and will see what the need is once Irma makes landfall," he said. "If needed, we always respond."

The sheriff's office doesn't have any current plans to accept evacuees, but that option is not off the table.

So, here's what you can do to prepare for Hurricane Irma's wrath, according to Ready.gov:

• Know where you need to go if you are ordered to evacuate. Be aware of the hurricane evacuation route and have a plan where you will stay.
• Have a disaster plan and disaster kit containing enough supplies for you, your family and pets. This kit should contain a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, medications and copies of your critical information if you need to leave your home.
• If you decide to stay home, be sure you have adequate supplies should you lose power and water and not able to leave for several days due to flooding or blocked roadways.
• Establish a family emergency communication plan.
• Sign up for emergency alerts that have texting and email notification capabilities.
• Make sure you have more than one way to obtain severe weather warnings, such as a NOAA weather radio or app on your smart phone.

Images via the National Weather Service and KOMUnews via Flickr Commons