Seniors from Charleston to take shelter in Lawrenceville

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - South Carolina seniors fleeing the path of Hurricane Florence will find open arms and warm hugs when they arrive at an assisted living facility in Lawrenceville Tuesday evening.

"We want to make sure they feel very comfortable when they get here," said Steve Iroff, the executive director of The Bridge at Lawrenceville.

Staff members at the facility off Highway 316 made room for 32 senior citizens and 10 staff members who left Charleston early Tuesday morning.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Hurricane Florence

Iroff told FOX 5's Portia Bruner staff at the Bridge in Charleston reached out to his staff and Gwinnett two days ago after forecasters identified Charleston as a potential target for hurricane strength winds and torrential rain.

"This is our sister facility and evacuations like this are always a part of our emergency management contingency plans. We have plenty of room here at our facility to offer the types of routine daily care needs that our friends in Charleston will need," said Iroff.

"We have plenty of staff to meet their needs, but in situations like this you want to bring your own staff so that the residents will be comfortable. A change like this can be unsettling, especially when you don't know how long you're going to be away from home. Familiar faces will make this temporary shelter much more comfortable for our guests from Charleston," the executive director told Bruner.

The facility offered temporary shelter for Hurricane Irma evacuees last year and for Hurricane Matthew evacuees in 2016.

"We just order extra food and supplies Gwinnett County give us some extra cots and beds just in case, but we're ready to accommodate our guests for several days until they determine it safe to return to Charleston."

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.