Florida residents arriving in Georgia ahead of Hurricane Milton

TURNER COUNTY, Ga. - Traffic on Interstate 75 northbound in Georgia has been heavy throughout Tuesday as Floridians evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton. 

Many vehicles heading north display Florida license plates, and officials in Florida have stated that this mass evacuation could be the largest since 2017.

RELATED: Hurricane Milton update: Storm poses ‘extremely serious threat’ to Florida

At a rest stop in Turner County, the scene has been hectic, with the area packed since around 10 a.m. As evacuees flee the storm, Georgia is becoming a key destination for safety. 

FOX 5 Atlanta's Tyler Fingert spoke with several drivers, many of whom described chaotic journeys due to the congestion. One woman from the Tampa area shared that she left at 2:30 a.m., only to be met with traffic that extended her drive by an hour.

"The drive was terrible. It was awful. It was all night, it was…it was insanity," said Tampa resident, Michael Piccione.

Piccione, like many Florida residents getting out of the state, ran into bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"We left Tampa at about 6 p.m., and we ended up in Valdosta about, what, 3 a.m., 4 in the morning," Piccione said.

RELATED: Hurricane Milton: Mandatory evacuations begin in Tampa Bay Area

Forecasters say the hurricane could be the strongest one to hit Tampa Bay in more than a century. 

"I don't normally freak out over a hurricane, but this one did scare me," said Maryann Carlton, who lives in the Tampa Bay area.

Tampa residents made the nearly 300-mile journey to the Turner County rest stop, but some, like Fort Myers resident Nancy Paris, drove an additional 120 miles to make it there. 

"I don't feel comfortable after Ian and we have hurricane windows, so I sign on. So, I'm kind of like, I don't want to see it again," said Paris.

Rest stops up and down Georgia highways were packed Tuesday. Many brought their pets with them. Tanner Sadler’s family is among those who left the storm zone.  

"You can replace things and property as disastrous as it is, but replacing people is impossible. So, we'd rather keep our family safe than have a vacation," said Sadler, who cut their Florida vacation short. 

The evacuation is further complicated by damage left behind by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago. Georgia officials are advising evacuees to avoid south Georgia and instead seek shelter in places like Albany, Columbus, Macon, and Atlanta. Some are even traveling as far as Michigan and Tennessee to find refuge with family, as hotels in Georgia are filling up quickly.

"The stress that's off of me right now is worth it," Carlton said.

Atlanta Motor Speedway opens its doors to evacuees

As Florida residents evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton, many are finding no vacancy signs at hotels. The Atlanta Motor Speedway opened its gates to evacuees to help out.  

"We put up our shutters and headed out," said Elizabeth Wade.  

Elizabeth and her husband Charles packed their bags and hit the road. They slowly made their way to the Georgia border in bumper-to-bumper traffic.  

"We started out yesterday afternoon, when we hit I-75 it was 5 to 15 miles an hour all the way to Ocala. It took us hours and hours," said Charles. 

They were heading to Savannah but had to switch plans along the way.  

"We had a spot in Savannah, but it now has problems, they may end up evacuating there," said Charles.  

RELATED: Milton evacuations: Atlanta Motor Speedway, other Georgia locations opening to evacuees

So, they ended up at the Atlanta Motor Speedway along with others who were here to escape the storm. 

The Wades have been through this before. In 2017 they evacuated when hurricane Irma hit.  

"Made it back and nothing had happened, our clocks weren't even flashing. But for this one, this one is going right over our house, so this one there's going to be a lot of damage," said Charles.  

The Wades say almost every time a hurricane is coming, they go back and forth debating if they should stay and ride it out at home or leave. They say this time they had no doubt they wanted to leave. 

"If it ends up being nothing, I'd rather be here wishing I was home, than home in the middle of a huge hurricane and wishing I was here," said Charles. 

The Georgia Department of Transportation says "Georgia’s interstates are seeing significant upticks in traffic volume - as much as four times higher than historical averages. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, volumes on I-75 northbound were 280 percent higher than normal between the Georgia-Florida state line and Macon. And on I-95 northbound between the Georgia-Florida state line and I-16, volumes were 89 percent higher than normal. In spite of significantly higher volumes, speeds on both highways were reported as normal. Volumes were even higher Monday evening on both interstates, with an increase on I-75 northbound of 342 percent above normal, and 264 percent above normal on I-95 northbound."