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Georgia theme park offers free admission to Hurricane Dorian evacuees

Posted at 3:15 PM, Sep 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-01 17:15:51-04

Florida hurricane evacuees in need of stress relief can visit a theme park in Georgia for free.

Wild Adventures Theme Park, a water and animal park in Valdosta, invited families displaced by Hurricane Dorian to visit the park on Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

“We’re welcoming families displaced by Hurricane Dorian with FREE admission this Saturday, Aug. 31, Sunday, Sep. 1, and Monday, Sep. 2, with proof of residency or a valid ID from the Florida counties under voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders,” the theme park said in a Facebook post.

Florida residents can check this list of counties under evacuation to see if they are eligible for free admission.

It’s not the first time the theme park has opened its doors to hurricane evacuees. Over the past few years, Wild Adventures has welcomed evacuees who suffered devastation as a result of the storms and other natural disasters, theme park spokesman Adam Floyd said.

“We’ve seen first-hand how just a few moments of fun can put smiles on kids’ faces and provide some relief for families who are going through a difficult time,” Floyd told CNN. “That can make a real difference for families who have traveled a good distance and may not know exactly what is going on back home.”

Floyd said more than 100 hurricane evacuees visited the park on Saturday, and more are expected to visit in the coming days as the storm nears.

Hurricane Dorian has strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. The storm is currently heading northwest in the Atlantic to the Bahamas, where it is expected to make catastrophic landfall sometime on Sunday.