People who have been displaced by Hurricane Florence are being offered free lodging by Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, according to a Wednesday announcement by the Boardwalk casino.

Owner and chairman of Ocean Walk, LLC, Bruce Deifik, said in a statement…

“We completely understand the concern for families and the community during times like this, so we want to do our part by providing somewhere safe, warm and dry to those impacted by Hurricane Florence.”

Proof of residence:

NJ.com reports that according to the announcement, in order to use the offer, guests must provide the casino with a valid driver’s license showing “residence in the areas adversely affected and directly impacted by Hurricane Florence.”

The National Hurricane Center (NHC), said early this morning that the storm is forecast to be “an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast late Thursday and Friday,” as reported by CBS News.

The NHC further reports that the center of Florence will approach the North and South Carolina coasts later today. It will then move over or near the southern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina coasts in the hurricane warning area later this evening and on Friday.

The casino said that every effort will be made “to accommodate based on availability of space and rooms.”

The news outlet further reports that in an interview with the Associated Press, Deifik communicated that a strict boundary would not be placed on which areas qualify.

Deifik said…

“They have to show proof that they live in an area that is threatened with a direct hit or an area in danger. Ninety-five percent of people I’m sure will be honest about it. There’s always going to be some scammers, but if it takes letting a few of them slip by in order to help the majority of people, then so be it.”

Hurricane downgraded:

CBS News reports that according to the NHC, Florence has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches the U.S. East Coast but is still considered to be an extremely dangerous potentially life-threatening storm.

On Wednesday afternoon, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency.

“In light of the storm’s forecasted southward track after making landfall, I encourage Georgians to be prepared for the inland effects of the storm as well as the ensuing storm surge in coastal areas,” said Governor Deal.

According to the early Thursday morning report, the National Weather Service says that more than 10 million residents in the Carolinas and Virginia are under a storm watch or warning.

Located on Atlantic City’s iconic Boardwalk, Ocean Resort Casino opened on June 28, 2018. The 6.4 million square foot casino resort has just shy of 1,400 guestrooms and 138,000-square-feet of gaming.