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ALBANY, GA -- Vanessa Grant just moved to Albany to study at Darton College. But with one eye on her studies, the other is fixed on her home, watching her family in the Bahamas.

“My mommy, my daddy, my grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles, basically all of my family (is over there),” said Grant.

The country is being swept over by hurricane Irene a category 3 storm. It's slated to hit Vanessa’s home on Grand Bahamas Island Thursday evening.

“I am worried because I am not there with them to see what's really going on. So I am just hoping that they keep updating me as much as they can. But nothing much has happened yet just a lot of strong winds a lot of rain,” said Grant.

Right now Todd and Ladonna Urick are breathing a sigh of relief. They lived in the Bahamas for about a year-and-half before moving to Albany, but a lot of friends are still in the country

“While we were there they took us in, had no idea who we were and they brought us into their homes, took care of us guided us,” said Ladona Urick.

Early news is they are okay.

“We haven't heard of any loss of life, which is the ultimate good news. The place we actually stayed at, we learned that they did have roof damage, that part of their roof was blown off,” said Todd Urick.

The husband and wife are also founders of Mission Change. Now they want to collect supplies to send to the Bahamas to help people rebuild.

They have put together a supply list of essential items folks are requesting, if anyone else wants to help.

After the storm clears the Bahamas it’s expected to travel north, up through the outer banks of the Carolinas and after that, during the weekend, it should hit the northeast part of the United States.

“Were still thinking somewhere between Jacksonville North Carolina and Moorhead City North Carolina, likely sometime Saturday Afternoon,” said Ed Piotrowski, Chief Meteorologist at our sister station WPDE in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. “Because is so close to our coast a lot of people are just worried that it could back up and actually make a direct hit. We don't see that happening at all, but like everyone else we are cautiously optimistic.”