5:17 p.m.

A temporary shelter already planned for the former Pineland School will open at 8 p.m. today.

The original plan called for the facility, now owned by the Moultrie YMCA, to open Wednesday morning, but changes in the forecast for Hurricane Michael caused the Y and the City of Moultrie to move to open it sooner.

Anyone who feels their home is not a safe place to ride out the storm can go to the building, located at 710 28th Ave. S.E.

Transportation to the facility will be available from the Ryce Community Center, 305 Seventh Ave. N.W., and from the Moultrie Police Department, 128 First St. S.W., according to City Manager Pete Dillard.

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1:25 p.m.

Southern Regional Technical College will be closed Wednesday and Thursday due to Hurricane Michael, which is expected to be felt in South Georgia this evening. This includes all of the school’s campuses.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has closed all of its campuses Wednesday through Friday. Monday and Tuesday were already scheduled for fall break, so classes will resume on Wednesday.

Colquitt County governmental offices will be closed Wednesday and expect to re-open after noon on Thursday.

11:41 a.m.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt County Schools will close on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in response to the approach of Hurricane Michael.

School Superintendent Doug Howell announced the decision during a hurricane preparation meeting this morning.

The storm is expected to begin impacting Colquitt County with tropical storm force winds around 7 or 8 o’clock tonight, county Emergency Management Director Russell Moody said at the meeting. The storm has been changing speeds for the last day, so he said the strong winds could start as late as midnight.

Whatever time they start, Moody said to expect sustained winds of 40-50 miles an hour to continue for about 24 hours. Gusts up to 60 miles an hour are expected, and there is the potential for bursts of wind up to 115 miles an hour, he said.

Howell said the school system will close Wednesday and Thursday due to the storm itself but will remain closed on Friday too because of concern for power outages or for road damage that could prevent safely transporting students.

He said a decision about the Packers-Camden football game scheduled for Friday night at Mack Tharpe Stadium will be made after the storm passes.

“We’re not concerned about football right now,” he said. “We’re concerned about keeping students safe.”

The City of Moultrie and the Moultrie YMCA will have a shelter open at the former Pineland School, 710 28th Ave. S.E. The plan — based on earlier storm predictions — was for it to open at 8 a.m. Wednesday, but discussions were held after the meeting about making that earlier due to changes in the forecast.

“If you’re going to shelter somebody, they need to be there before the storm hits,” Moody said.

The shelter’s times will be announced on the City of Moultrie Facebook page.

The city will shuttle residents from the Ryce Community Center, 305 Seventh Ave. S.E., and the Moultrie Police Department, 128 First St. S.W., to the Pineland shelter.

A shelter will also be opened at Ellenton City Hall.

The American Red Cross is setting up shelters outside the projected path of Hurricane Michael but won’t set them up within the path, Moody said. After the storm passes, if shelters are required for people whose homes have been damaged, the Red Cross will set them up then.

The Sunbelt Expo campgrounds will also be available after the storm passes.

Moody said the wind will be the biggest danger. The expected winds likely won’t cause much damage to structures, he said, but electrical outages from trees blown across power lines or toppled power poles are to be expected. Area power companies have been trimming trees near lines recently, so Moody said he hopes their work will pay off in less damage when the storm hits.

Rain of 7 to 12 inches is expected, Moody said.

“We don’t feel the rain is going to be that rough for us,” he said. “The wind is what we’ve got to worry about.”

Sand bags will be available from both city and county governments for those who think they’ll need them. City residents can call Moultrie Public Works at 229-668-5423 and pick them up at the Moultrie Service Center. County residents can call County Roads and Bridges at 229-616-7480 and pick them up at the Roads and Bridges facility, 2000 County Farm Road.