Hurricane Irma is the largest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Fears are widespread that massive evacuations will clog major highways and airports throughout Florida, southeast Georgia and South Carolina.

Chatham County, less then 60 miles from Georgia Southern University, is in a state of emergency and will likely issue mandatory evacuations in the next day or two.

We need time to get out. We cannot wait until the last minute when all of Georgia’s hotels will be filled by Florida residents and people better prepared than we are.

I am truly not just trying to avoid schoolwork. We need classes to be cancelled now. This week. Not this weekend. For the rest of the week and the first three days (at least) of next week. There is no time to figure out if we should play a football game Saturday or if projects should still be due Monday.

Let’s stop this wait-and-see mentality. That’s not how you prepare for a monstrous, lethal natural disaster. We are not on the coast, but we are close enough.

Irma makes Matthew look like a newborn infant who hasn’t yet spoken his first words. Irma is the angry aunt who breaks everything in the house. Irma floods the living room. Irma takes no prisoners.

Residents of the British Virgin Islands, which was recently hit by Irma, are saying “everything is gone.” FEMA is reportedly running out of money after the massive Harvey relief package.

The mentality should not be wait-and-see. It should be just-in-case. And the case seems very likely for devastation.

Commuter students like myself need time to prepare for this once-in-a-generation storm. Stop waiting. Cancel classes. Let us leave while we can. Let me be safe.