Area, state officials prepare for Hurricane Irma
Georgia Gov.
At a press conference Friday morning, Deal and state officials outlined the preparations for the now storm expected to hit in three days. Deal has declared a state of emergency for 94 counties, essentially every county in south and middle Georgia, and
"This is a time of crisis for our state," Deal said.
The governor warned Georgians not to be complacent about the storm because Hurricane Matthew last year was less severe than expected because that storm struck the coastal areas at low tide and the state might not be so fortunate this time.
Those who live east of
Many of those evacuees have headed to
At
Mayor
"These are good Georgians who are coming here at a time when they are experiencing a tragic moment," he said. "We want to make sure that this is a place of safe refuge for them as they come to our community and we will house them, we will shelter them, we will feed and clothe them. We will love them just like they were our brothers and sisters."
The school system, which will be closed Monday through Wednesday, has referred a request for the school sites to EMA.
Last October, when Hurricane Matthew evacuees from
Keeping shelter locations private until they open is a policy that helps ensure the "effective use of resources," Everitt said.
Irma is expected to bring tropical storm-force winds, roughly 40 mph and heavy rain to
In
To prepare for the hurricane, Grovetown and county personnel have been doing emergency equipment placement and communications checks, as well as preparing to house an anticipated influx of Irma evacuees. The
During a preparation meeting with county staff and other emergency personnel early Friday,
Leanza urged citizens to sign up for the Code Red countywide alert messaging system that is available on the county's website.
"CodeRED is an emergency notification service by which public safety can notify residents and businesses by telephone or cellular phone about emergency situations," according to the county's website. "The system is capable of sending messages only to specific neighborhoods or the entire community."
The Code Red App is also available for smartphone users.
Leanza also encouraged citizens to utilize the 3-1-1, for emergencies not considered lige threatening.
"In an active emergency call 911. But if anybody has any kind of request for information or sees something going on that's not life threatenting, go ahead and call 311," Leanza said, adding that the Columbia County EMA Facebook page will be updated regularly with information.
Capt.
"If called we would contact EMA and find out what shelters are available," he said.
Morris estimates more than 50 deputies, which includes investigators, would be working shifts by Monday. He said remaining personnel will be on standby.
"We would do basically the same business that we do each and every day in that the difference is with the storm we expect high winds, down trees and power lines and during this process we will do our best to clear the roadways," he said.
In a statement Friday afternoon, Aiken County Sheriff
He advised residents to monitor local media and weather stations throughout the weekend for updates from officials.
The military is also getting involved in local relief efforts. Cpt.
About 5,000
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Gov. Nathan Deal and state officials outline preparations for Hurricane Irma
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