Hurricane Irma: Dunwoody Police Give 'Big Warm Welcome' To Florida Evacuees

DUNWOODY, GA -- Metro Atlanta streets buzzed with cars Thursday as signs of a monster storm in the Atlantic Ocean were evident locally. Traffic was noticeably heavier, apparently from residents fleeing Hurricane Irma. The Dunwoody Police Department welcomed out-of-towners getting away from the path of Hurricane Irma on Thursday, taking to Facebook to post a heartwarming -- and well-needed -- message.

"We've been seeing a lot of Florida tags in the city and at our hotels," the department posted. "We want to extend a BIG WARM WELCOME to our neighbors from the south!" (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Read more: Georgia in likely path of Hurricane Irma

The message will no doubt be taken with open arms as metro Atlanta expects to see a dramatic increase in visitors this week and into the foreseeable future. In Hampton, Atlanta Motor Speedway has opened its camp grounds to evacuees as well.

Irma, the most powerful Atlantic storm ever recorded, is on a projected path that could include Georgia after the weekend, forecasts say. Six of Georgia's coastal counties are already under a state of emergency, which Gov. Nathan Deal enacted Wednesday.

Watch: Deaths, Destruction Reported As Hurricane Irma Heads Toward Florida

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Elsewhere in DeKalb, county officials are asking residents to sign up for the emergency CodeRed communications system.

Also in the metro, West Point Lake has opened Holiday campground to evacuees from Hurricane Irma. Registration for a campsite will be handled at Holiday campground gatehouse. Although not required, evacuees are encouraged to call Holiday campground in advance at 706.884.6818.

The Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter is open as an equine evacuation site for horse owners in the path of Hurricane Irma. A limited number of stalls are available that are open to evacuees on a first come, first serve basis, no reservations will be accepted.

Owners will be required to provide the necessary feed, hay and tack to care for all horses while here. With the limited number of stalls available, equine owners will need to have a secondary site in case they’ve met capacity before arriving in Perry.

Image via Dunwoody PD / Facebook