While the southern and coastal areas of Georgia felt the first lashes of what is now Tropical Storm Irma on Monday morning, metro Atlanta is coming to grips with the storm’s power.
As more counties see power outages and traffic signals cease working, motorists are encouraged to stay off the roads.
Conyers police turned vehicles around on I-20 East after a giant tree blocked the road between West Avenue and Sigman Road. Because of the danger of more trees falling, police said the road would remain closed while the threat was active.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Gwinnett County Police Department tweeted the locations of nearly 50 downed trees or wires that had been reported, the most recent of which was a tree on Prospect Road at Braselton Highway.
The Gwinnett County Fire Department reported at least four trees had fallen on homes.
Photo taken on Prospect Rd at Braselton Hwy, tree fell across road pic.twitter.com/nAuTmxMzQT
— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) September 11, 2017
Cobb County provides a map where commuters can check for restrictions and closures in real time. Visit http://www.cobbcommute.org/#/
In Sandy Springs, a tree that came down on power lines closed Hammond Drive at Peachtree Dunwoody Road. A tree also took down power lines at Riverside Drive and Dalrymple Road.
Stark reminder of the danger of the storm. If home is surrounded by trees, find lower level/safe room providing protection should tree fall. pic.twitter.com/nsSQd7Wojm
— Sandy Springs, GA (@SandySpringsGA) September 11, 2017
Additional road closures were reported at Northside Drive and Garmon Road, where a tree came down, and at 580 Hammond Drive, near Lorrell Terrace, where a tree fell on a house, police said.
Nearby, in Dunwoody, police said they would post warnings and update people about hazardous conditions via social media.
“The winds and rain are really picking up,” police said about 3 p.m. “We are currently responding to numerous reports of car accidents and downed trees. If you don’t have a reason to be out, please stay home and safe.”
In Atlanta, several roads were closed and police continue to clear downed trees, police spokeswoman Stephanie Brown said.
Affected roads closed as of 10 p.m. Monday include:
-Fairburn Road at Benjamin E. Mays
-Brownlee Road at Boulder Park Road
-Adams Drive at Cascade Road
-Peachtree Battle Avenue between Woodward Way and Oldfield Road
-Northside Drive at Woodward Way
-Williams Street at Peachtree Street
-Wesley Road at Nancy Creek Road
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