The White House has issued an Emergency Declaration for the State of Georgia as Hurricane Helene looms. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) announced on Thursday that the state had been approved following a formal request from Governor Brian Kemp on Wednesday.

Helene strengthened into Category 2 hurricane around 7:45 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Helene is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in Florida

Multiple state and federal agencies are coordinating a response ahead of the dangerous storm as Georgia residents are asked to stay off the roads.

The Monroe County Emergency Management Agency is activating four emergency evacuation shelters. The shelters will open at 4 p.m. on Thursday, and they remain open until 5 p.m. on Friday, unless weather changes cause the shelters to change hours. Evacuees are encouraged to bring their own non-perishable food items.

The emergency declaration for Georgia covers dozens of counties ahead of potential damage from Hurricane Helene.

As communities prepare for the impact of Tropical Storm Helene, Gov. Brian Kemp has issued a State of Emergency for Georgia. Here's what that means.

Gov. Brian Kemp issues a state of emergency Tuesday for every county as Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency prepares.

Mr. Kevin A. Wallace, Sr. of FEMA has been appointed to oversee Federal recovery operations in Georgia. With Hurricane Helene’s potential to cause significant damage, the Federal support aims to mitigate the storm’s impact and provide timely assistance for recovery efforts.

The highest landfall probability is somewhere along the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle late Thursday evening, forecasters said.