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Military family stationed in Georgia returns home to metro Detroit to get out of Hurricane Dorian's way

Posted at 5:24 PM, Sep 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-06 17:24:08-04

TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A family from Troy moved to Georgia in 2016. They got their first taste of hurricane season a month after moving.

Hurricane Dorian is now the third major hurricane their area has experienced in the past three years.

Mom Jessica Lloyd decided it’s safer to be in metro Detroit with her extended family than home in the South. Dhe made that call as soon as she heard how strong Dorian became.

“I was thinking not again,” she said. “Soon as it hit category 5. That’s when I started getting worried.”

And that’s when Jessica Lloyd decided to put her kids and pets in the car for a 16-hour drive.

The family came to Troy Monday. With her, 10-year-old Kyleigh, 9-year-old Jaiden and 6-year-old Ethan. They brought their dogs Apollo and Nyla and a kitten they just adopted the day before leaving.

Jessica’s hands are full because her husband is a medic with the Army stationed in Korea right now.

When they moved to Georgia three years ago, Hurricane Matthew hit a month later.

“It was miserable because we had just moved in,” she said. “Front of the house all flooded, the streets were flooded, it was crazy.”

Then they had to evacuate back here in Michigan when Hurricane Irma hit in 2017.

Jessica decided to leave early to avoid the gridlock of evacuation orders due to Dorian.

The family will be living in Georgia until January. Then Jessica’s husband will get orders to move to either Louisiana or North Carolina. Both states are hurricane prone areas, but Jessica says she will pack up the car and come home every time a hurricane will start to head their way.

“DVD players in the car, the kids have their tablets, stuff like that, pack up the snacks and just stop for gas.”

The family plans to return to Georgia Monday.