Fleeing Hurricane Dorian: Dozens Of Animals Arrive In Norfolk

NORFOLK, VA — Dozens of animals made their way from South Carolina to Virginia over the weekend to escape the path of Hurricane Dorian.

On Sunday, Norfolk SPCA Adoption Center & Veterinary Clinics announced that it had welcomed 34 animals to its facility in advance of hurricane evacuation orders for Beaufort County, South Carolina. The Norfolk SPCA officials say they are already working to get these animals ready for adoption.

South Carolina's governor declared a state of emergency Saturday after Hurricane Dorian shifted northward, away from Florida, putting millions of the Carolinians in the crosshairs. According to forecasters, heavy rains could produce life-threatening flash flooding for the area.

The catastrophic storm made landfall Sunday morning in the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, and gusts topping 220 mph.

Forecasters said it could reach Georgia's coast around 8 a.m. Wednesday as a major hurricane with wind speeds over 110 miles per hour. From there, the predicted path of the storm spins north along the East Coast, reaching southern Virginia by 8 p.m. Wednesday and northern Virginia and Maryland by midday Thursday.

Patch is tracking every move of Tropical Storm Dorian. Get all the updates on the storm by subscribing to Patch's free breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.