Athens is a hot spot for Hurricane Matthew evacuees. Mark Nathan, an evacuee from Tybee Island, chose Athens to get their annual trip in and because he was once a Georgia Bulldog himself.

“We went shopping, we’ve been going out to eat, we went to the Ovation Movie Theater,” Nathan said.  “Even though we live in a bigger city than Athens, Savannah doesn’t have anything like that in Savannah, where they have the food come out. That was really interesting.”

Nathan and his wife left his home early Friday morning, just two hours before the exit from the island closed down. This which would have left them no way to evacuate.

“It was scary because in the middle of the night we got robot calls saying evacuate now!” Nathan said.  “They made it clear that if you didn’t leave early Friday morning, you would be stuck on the island.”

Their home was built in 1914, making it one of the oldest homes on the island. Although they are still waiting to get back to Tybee Island to see the damage, a close friend, who is a first responder, get them some information.

“She went by our property and said no trees had fallen on the house,” Nathan said.  “The only possible damage could be some flood damage.”

The Nathans are staying optimistic about the situation and plan to return to Tybee Island on Tuesday.