Evacuees from Georgia, Florida taking no chances with Hurricane Helene

MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Some residents of Alabama, Florida and Georgia are bracing for impact as Hurricane Helene travels north.

Evacuees said they are preparing for anything that might come their way.

“Like I said, we stayed through Michael,” said Lucas Barber, evacuee from Bristol, Florida. “We tried to ride it out and we ended up losing our house. So, it was just a pretty scary time. So, we decided on this one not to risk it.”

After losing their house to Hurricane Michael, Barber explained that his family took no chances with Helene.

“It was kinda tough, you know,” Barber recalled. “I was in high school at the time and stayed on some friends’ couches, with some family. Till we could figure it out.”

Barber said they are going as far north as they can. For anyone debating about whether to stay or go, he had one piece of advice.

“It can change, just like Michael. It strengthened overnight. You know, we didn’t think it was gonna be anything serious. We woke up, and it was a high category four. So, it’s, you know, even if you don’t think it’s gonna be anything serious, I would recommend leaving,” said Barber.

Charlie Scott is driving all the way from Thomasville, Georgia to Prattville, Alabama to escape the storm.

“Instead of sticking it out at home, just trying to get away from the hurricane,” he said. “This one’s supposed to be really aggressive, so wanted to try and keep my family safe.”

He stopped for gas with his dog riding shotgun and his daughter in the backseat. Scott said there’s one thing that helped him make up his mind on whether to stay or go.

“That’s gotta be your top priority- if you think there’s like, any possibility that your kid’s gonna be in danger or in a less-than-ideal situation, then go ahead and get out of there,” Scott remarked.

Scott said with this hurricane, it was not worth the risk to stay put.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.