MACON, Bibb County — Throughout the day, Hurricane Helene has come closer and closer to making landfall.
Right now, there's only a few hours left to make sure you have what you need to make it through the storm.
Preparing ahead of time is how you can protect yourself and loved ones before the hurricane comes.
13WMAZ spoke to Central Georgians preparing today, and they said they're feeling calm before this storm comes.
Israel Respaldiza gathered some hardware from Lowe's on Thursday morning ahead of Hurricane Helene's arrival.
He said he works in construction and hopes the storm doesn't affect his projects.
"We never know, you know, [storms are] unpredictable things," Respaldiza said.
But unpredictable doesn't mean you should stay unprepared.
He and his wife said they got groceries and other necessary items their household needs ahead of Helene's arrival.
Another Central Georgian said he got flashlights and groceries yesterday.
"I think we're ready," he said.
Most people said they aren't panicking, but they're also not going to set themselves up for a disaster.
"They have told us that if the weather gets bad they'll let us know," Paige Thomason said.
Thomason said she's lived in Central Georgia with her family most of her life.
She said she has to go to work this afternoon around 3:00 p.m. and is scheduled to stay until her shift ends around 11:00 p.m., but will probably get to go home if the storm's approaching sooner than expected.
Weston Garrison is a 6-year-old at ACE Academy off for a couple of hurricane days.
His grandpa, Scott, taught him to think up back-ups in case of emergencies.
"We got a grill [and] we're trying to get propane to make sure we have something just in case the power goes out," his grandpa said.
Nelson Ramos recently moved to Central Georgia from Miami.
He said he "knows hurricanes extremely well" and knows to prepare for the worst.
Ramos and his mother-in-law, who's from Ecuador, said they're expecting flooding to be the biggest issue they're going to face here.
"We have bottled water in the car," he said. "We are preparing for a few days without any power. Our house has a gas stove, so we're good. This is non perishables, beans canned goods -- all that."
If you haven't stocked up on the important items already, make sure to see if you need sandbags, propane, generators, flashlights, fuel and food.
Top off your tank now before the storm comes in case you need to evacuate or the pumps have no power for the next few days.
If you run out for last minute groceries, think of purchasing non-perishable items and canned goods.
You're only as safe as you are prepared.