Over 2 million residents in the American state of Georgia have reportedly taken refuge in the state's existing fall-out shelters, citing fears of a possible invasion by Russian forces.

Hysteria has spread across the city of Atlanta, where local officials have been telling residents to "take cover" amid the city's activation of air raid sirens.

Citizens across four counties have been hard at work "digging out old gas masks" and reading up on protocol for surviving a nuclear attack.

However, many residents have reported finding faulty survival equipment, which has "done nothing but gather dust for 50 years".

Meanwhile, Georgia's governor, Sonny Perdue, is understood to be pressing for military aid from neighbouring states, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, while US President George W Bush is close to declaring a national state of emergency.

"According to Fox News, the Russians have already bombed parts of central Georgia, and this is clearly a breach of international law", said Bush.

"I will talk with my senior advisors and strategise a way to counter those Commie bastards once and for all".