Georgians urged to stay vigilant as officials assess storm impact

Georgia officials are encouraging residents to stay vigilant Sunday as much of the state remains under a flood watch and strong winds are expected to continue in the wake of the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.

The storm made landfall Friday evening near Destin, Florida, and weakened overnight to a post-tropical cyclone as it tracked north. In Georgia, it downed trees and power lines, leaving more than 120,000 customers without electricity Saturday. At least one tornado was detected in Screven County on Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency said a flood watch remains in effect for much of the state through Sunday morning and that a high wind warning is also in effect for North Georgia through 8 a.m. Sunday.

“GEMA/HS encourages all Georgians to remain vigilant, monitor local weather forecasts and have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts,” the agency said in a statement Saturday. “Residents should avoid downed trees and power lines, never attempt to drive through flooded roadways and follow guidance from local emergency management officials.”

The agency said the primary impacts reported statewide included downed trees and power outages.

Georgia Power, which serves around 2.8 million customers statewide, said it had restored electricity to more than 90,000 customers by Saturday afternoon. The utility warned the public to stay away from downed power lines and give a wide berth to repair crews on or alongside roads.

Settled weather will return to Georgia on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. In the meantime, wet soils and high winds mean that falling trees and power outages will continue to be a threat, it said.

Gov. Brian Kemp declared a statewide emergency before the storm hit. He said Saturday that he was keeping in close contact with officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

President Donald Trump on Saturday issued federal disaster assistance for the state. Trump backtracked on his planned attendance at Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama football game because of the storm.

In Florida and Alabama, the hardest-hit states where hundreds of thousands of people lost power, Isaias was responsible for at least two deaths, The Associated Press reported.

One person died when a tree fell on their house in a neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, according to Shea Hess, an emergency management officer with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.

In Florida, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said in a video posted on his Facebook page that one woman died after a tree fell on her home.

In Georgia, the storm caused transportation disruptions and event cancellations.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said it activated its emergency operations center Saturday morning to monitor weather, assess impacts and coordinate resources.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines canceled more than 20 flights scheduled for Saturday to or from the airport, according to FlightAware.com. The Saturday cancellations followed more than 50 flight cancellations Friday.

Travel alerts were issued Saturday in several Georgia counties where fallen trees had blocked some roadways or interfered with power lines, including Coweta, Jones, Monroe and Pickens counties.