The American Red Cross has opened five shelters in Tennessee ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma.
According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, two shelters have been opened for evacuees in Nashville and one each in Chattanooga, Johnson City, and Memphis.
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In addition, the Tennessee Department of Tourism has been providing a list of available hotels and motels to visitors at Tennessee Welcome Centers. Tennessee has been a destination for some Floridians fleeing the hurricane that made landfall Sunday.
Shelters can be found at the following locations:
- Christ Lutheran Church, 229 Haywood Lane, Nashville, TN 37211 (Capacity 20, Availability* 20, Pet Friendly Shelter)
- East Brainerd Church of Christ, 7745 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421 (Capacity 200, Availability* 169, Special Needs Shelter)
- First Lutheran Church, 118 8th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203 (Capacity 20, Availability* 20, Pet Friendly Shelter)
- University Parkway Baptist Church, 219 University Parkway, Johnson City, TN 37604 (Capacity 75, Availability* 73)
- Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, 70 N. Bellevue Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38104 (Capacity 200, Available* 97)
The State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville has been monitoring Irma's movement toward Tennessee and preparing to assist local jurisdictions.
Click here to see your forecast in Middle Tennessee.
Forecasters have been expecting the storm to be a tropical depression by the time it arrives near Jackson by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, bringing wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour and up to 3 inches of rain.
The main threats in Tennessee have been expected to be high winds, downed trees and power lines, scattered power outages, and heavy rain that could result in localized, minor flooding.
*Availability as of 11 a.m. Sunday
