Hurricane Irma continued on a path that could bring it into or near the Georgia coast by Monday night or Tuesday morning, according to a 5 a.m. Thursday projection from the National Hurricane Center.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has already declared a state of emergency for Georgia’s six coastal counties, including Liberty and Bryan.
While no evacuation orders have been issued, Liberty County’s Emergency Management Agency has an 11 a.m. briefing on the Category 5 storm with various county leaders. Bryan County Emergency Services Director Freddy Howell on Wednesday said his agency will decide by Saturday whether to issue an evacuation order.
Some sports events have already been moved. Georgia Southern’s game against New Hampshire has been moved to Birmingham, Ala., and high school games involving Bradwell Institute, Bryan County, Liberty County and Long County are being played Thursday night.
Hurricane Irma had sustained winds of up to 180 mph Thursday morning, and gusts up to 220 mph, according to weather reports.