Asher McCollum, 3, son of David and Jennie McCollum of Woodstock hops aboard his floating alligator while hanging at the Victoria Landing beach at Lake Allatoona on Friday afternoon.
Photo by Todd Hull
Photo by Todd Hull
About 1.1 million residents in Georgia, including Cherokee County, are expected to travel 50 miles or more to commemorate the July 4 holiday, said Jessica Brady, spokeswoman for AAA South.
Brady said that’s a 5 percent increase from last year’s numbers.
She also said 983,000 will drive while 87,600 will travel by plane and others will travel by other means for the holiday season.
AAA South defines the holiday as July 3-8.
The heat wave is expected to stick around, with highs expected to reach the mid-90s on Wednesday, said Alex Gibbs, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.
Gibbs said it’s “too soon to tell” if there will be any heat advisories, but heat indexes could reach the upper 90s.
“This is far in the forecast, so it’s subject to chance,” he said.
Lake Allatoona and the Etowah River are expected to be hot beds of activity for residents looking for relief from the heat.
Sgt. Mike Barr with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said they are expecting a “very busy week.”
The Department will make more patrols on the look out for residents who are suspected of operating under the influence.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Park Ranger Stephen Cain said he expects the lake to be at full capacity on Wednesday, adding people have been making reservations months ahead of the holiday.
The corps will have a station where residents can borrow life vests.
Children younger than 10 are required to wear vests on boats, but Cain said the corps is strongly encouraging others to wear them.
“It makes good sense for anyone who’s going to be on a boat to wear one,” he added.
Cain also warned residents to drink plenty of water and shy away from drinking too much alcohol.
The effects of alcohol can “really creep up on you” in the heat and on the water, Cain said.
“It really doesn’t take a lot for someone to become impaired,” he said, adding it’s best to have a designated boat operator.
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