Citizens in the Atlanta area are coordinating efforts to offer up their homes for people evacuating the coastal areas and Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma.
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Vanessa Faraj, a Decatur resident, created an online Google form Wednesday morning, calling the effort "Atlanta Solidarity Housing."
She said the idea is to compile a list of Atlantans who can offer up space in their homes and match them with people who need shelter.
"These hurricanes are going to continue to hit the Southern region and we as a city want to be prepared and united to meet the needs of people fleeing the path of the hurricanes," Faraj said.
She said as of Thursday afternoon, she's gotten 35 volunteers that can provide shelter.
Gov. Nathan Deal issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday for the state's coastal areas, which goes into effect Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, hotels in Georgia have started to book up ahead of the hurricane. According to a spokesperson with the Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels in the city were at capacity by Wednesday evening.
Journalist Elly Yu
