TALLAHASSEE, Fla (WTXL) - Hurricane Florence, now downgraded to a category 2 storm, is making its way to the southeast and is expected to make landfall Friday.
Governor's Nathan Deal had added Georgia to the list of states declaring a State of Emergency after new updates suggest Florence will turn South.
This is for all 159 counties in Georgia.
Georgia joins both Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland in declaring a state of emergency.
Whenever a natural diaster threatens a part of the country, there are bound to be loved ones impacted no matter where you are.
Right now, while Hurricane Florence isn't a present threat in FLorida, WTXL ABC reporter Jada Williams' family and friends in her home state of South Carolina are bracing for the storm and what it will bring with it.
Throughout the entire state, people are taking the storm seriously.
Some of Jada's friends along the coast in places like Charleston and Myrtle Beach have evacuated ahead of the storm while others are choosig to ride it out.
Even in Columbia, SC, right in the middle of the state, friends are evacuating.
"I went ahead and evacuated to upstate South Carolina ahead of Hurricane Florence," said Mary Stuart.
Like my friend Mary Stuart, many are choosing to leave this area of the state as well, haunted by the not-so-distant memory of the Thousand Year Flood in 2015.
"We learned that it's very impiortant to pay attention to evacuation notices and be proactive in cases like this," Stuart said.
So now my friend awaits the storm in the Upstate, where I grew up and where my family still lives.
Just a few days ago, my family wasn't too worried about the storm, since my hometown of Spartanburg is more inland.
But after recent shifts in the storm, they're also taking precautions.
Now preparations are starting to dwindle and it's becoming a waiting game for South Carolinians and the people living in neighboring states ahead of Hurricane Florence.
One similarity I've noticed between my home state and my new home here in Florida is that both places are resilient.
I saw Columbia, South Carolina pick up the pieces effortlessly after the flooding in 2015, and I saw firsthand how Floridians did the exact same after Hurricane Irma.
I'm proud to claim both states.
