As Hurricane Michael moves toward the Florida coast, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for 92 counties in South Georgia.
The declaration basically frees up state emergency resources to handle any preparation, response and recovery activities that may be related to the hurricane. In addition, it suspends federal rules and regulations that limit hours of operation for commercial carriers of fuel and other goods into the state.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service told the Associated Press that Georgia could see evacuations and rescues.
The National Weather Service said Tuesday that central Georgia could see wind gusts as high as 60 mph (97 kph), with the strongest winds south of Columbus and Macon. Forecasters said rainfall in Georgia could range from 3-5 inches (8-13 centimeters), with locally higher amounts of up to 7 inches (18 centimeters).
The storm has strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with top wind speeds of 100 mph (155 kph) and is expected to grow stronger before hitting the Florida coast Wednesday. Then it's expected to move over Alabama and Georgia Wednesday and the Carolinas and Virginia on Thursday.
