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Couple flees Florida, finds refuge in Georgia
Many Floridians, like Dawn and Dan Ell, have found refuge in Georgia campgrounds as the powerful Category 3 Hurricane Milton made landfall along the Gulf Coast.
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Many Hurricane Milton evacuees were hunkered down in Georgia when the storm made landfall near Siesta Key.
The majority of the people staying at Victoria Campground in Woodstock Wednesday night were hurricane evacuees.
Dawn and Dan Ell packed up their dogs, Roy and Nelly, and headed to Georgia.
"We knew we wanted to get past Valdosta because Valdosta is devastated from the last hurricane," said Dan.
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It took a while to get there.
"We avoided 75 as much as possible. 75 was bumper to bumper," said Dawn.
They said it was an easy decision to leave, but they worried about being able to find enough gas along the way.
"If we run out of gas, now we're going to be in a trailer in the middle of a hurricane," said Dan.
They settled in at Victoria Campground and kept tabs on their friends and family who rode out the storm in Florida.
"You're thinking about friends, you're thinking about the whole area and what's happening there," said Dan.
Their neighbors at the campground are from Tampa. Anya Szigeti and her husband were out of town when Helene hit Florida. They came home to a flooded house, just started to clean up, when they suddenly found themselves having to evacuate because of Milton.
"We grab things like our passports, social security cards, marriage license, some sentimental items and literally throw those items in our truck and Airstream, and we hit the road," said Szigeti.
Once the storm passes, they'll figure out what their next step will be.
"Right now we just hope we have something to go back for," said Szigeti.
Dawn and Don Ell don't know when they'll be heading home either. They said at this point, they don't know what they would be driving into.
"There's not going to be any gas, not going to be any groceries. Who knows what the roads will be like? We'll get some reports and probably head home next week, and hopefully not with another hurricane bearing down," said Don.