Thousands descend on Atlanta to flee storms

ATLANTA - From sold out hotels, to downtown streets filled with families and pets, thousands of people braved hours of traffic to get to a hotel inland and west of Hurricane Matthew.

People staying in Downtown and Midtown Atlanta hailed from Daytona to South Carolina, and brought their belongings and pets.

"We have a total of seven dogs and ten people with us," said Sandy Kennedy, who drove from Ft. Lauderdale; their family's hotel accommodated all of their family and pets.

Multiple hotels in Downtown and Midtown Atlanta said they were sold out when FOX 5 called their front desks, with most staff members saying the hurricane evacuees inundated hotel reservations.

The Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design brought in more than 1,500 students from Savannah.

"1,500 students came up on 38 buses. It took some of them 16 hours to get here," said President Paula Wallace of SCAD, which provided cots, food and activities for all students.

 While some families and evacuees plan to return Sunday, state officials warn people to check road closures before they leave, to make sure they can reenter their cities.