That would make Georges a Category III hurricane. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch through Saturday for all the central and southern counties. In Atlanta, the FEMA Region Four Operations Center is also operating 24 hours a day. Forty thousand pounds of ice and 5,000 gallons of potable water are slated to arrive at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Mobilization Center by noon today. FEMA's Initial Response Resources package and associated personnel are slated to arrive at Jacksonville Naval Air Station today.
Preparations are underway for that arrival.
The US Department of Agriculture is inventorying available emergency food stores in Florida and Alabama. The Department of Veterans Affairs has deployed three dozen nurses to Florida. One dozen are working at the special-needs shelter at Florida International University in Miami. There were 55 shelters open overnight with 7,208 residents. Florida state officials are operating 10 of the 55 as special-needs facilities.