As Hurricane Irma approaches the Georgia coast, people living near the storm’s path may encounter increasing hazards until the hurricane passes.

Classes at Georgia Southern University have been cancelled for Friday, Monday and Tuesday due to the storm hazards.

No evacuation order has gone into effect for Statesboro, but many students and Statesboro residents might plan to leave the area.

Risks

According to the National Weather Service, flooding is the second leading cause of fatalities from tropical cyclones and can occur hundreds of miles inland and can persist several days after a storm dissipates.

Winds from hurricanes can damage or destroy buildings and manufactured homes, and tornadoes can occur in bands far away from the center of a hurricane, says the National Weather Service.

Evacuation Tips

Quoted from the Department of Homeland Security, here are tips for hurricane evacuation:

• Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the local hurricane evacuation route(s) to take and have a plan for where you can stay. Contact your local emergency management agency for more information.

• Put together a go-bag: disaster supply kit, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, medications, and copies of your critical information if you need to evacuate

• If you are not in an area that is advised to evacuate and you decide to stay in your home, plan for adequate supplies in case you lose power and water for several days and you are not able to leave due to flooding or blocked roads.

• Make a family emergency communication plan.

• Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications. To find out what alerts are available in your area, search the Internet with your town, city, or county name and the word “alerts.”

Supplies for Staying in Statesboro

Some gas stations in Statesboro have run out of fuel and water, as of the time of publication. Many people may be preparing for the storm at once.

For those staying in Statesboro during the storm, the National Weather Service provides hurricane safety tips. These may apply more strongly to areas closer to coastlines, but they might provide helpful information to Statesboro residents regardless: