MACON, Ga. — Sara Pugh Montgomery is the pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Macon. After hearing how catastrophic Hurricane Milton is projected to be, she quickly made the decision to open the church doors as a shelter.
"If this becomes a last resort, we are here for you," she said.
Pugh Montgomery says she's aware of the financial impact that comes with being forced to find temporary housing.
"There is an economic part of evacuation and so the economics of evacuation perhaps aren't in favor for a lot of people and so we want to be able to provide that space, especially for people that might be stuck in between a rock and a hard place," Pugh Montgomery said.
Centenary UMC has showers, nurseries with cribs for families with children and large rooms that can accommodate multiple people.
"So we have a nursery that has about three cribs, we have spaces for infants and for those who have younger children that would need that kind of resource; we have a room downstairs that's on a hardwood floor," she said. "And so if you have pets and need to be able to evacuate with your pets, we have that space available and then we also have a larger open space if you're willing to bunk in with a bunch of other folks."
She said others online, have offered to provide a hot meal, while some people volunteered their bathrooms and homes for those who may need it.
"We have folks that are willing to open up their homes, like my home to be able to make sure that those kids get a bath instead of having to figure out how to bathe a one-year- old in a shower," she said. "When I initially posted about it and then all of the people from our community that have reached out, those that are within our congregation and also those that are outside of our congregation; I've had a number of people just from around Macon reach out and say, 'Hey, if y'all get folks, I'll provide a hot meal.'"
After the storm passes, there's the chance evacuees may not be able to return home right away. So Pugh Montgomery said they'll work to make arrangements for people who need extra time.
"I know that we can also be flexible and so we can still find places to be able to put folks," she said.
For those who cant find a shelter in Central Georgia or are still looking for a location in other parts of the state, she wants to remind people they're not alone and there's resources in several areas.
"It can feel very hopeless and it can feel like you're doing this all by yourself self, especially when you're in bumper to bumper traffic and the gas is starting to run low on I-75," she said. "Folks might not get all the way up to Macon but I know that there are wonderful neighbors and partners that are even south of us and east and west of us."
The best way to get in touch with the church is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or she says you can message her on Facebook.