A.M. ATL: Dealing with Debby
Morning, y’all! Expect cloudy skies and temperatures around 90 degrees today.
- Coming up: Democratic nominee Kamala Harris — who postponed an upcoming rally in Savannah due to the storm discussed below — is expected to announce her running mate soon. Stay tuned to AJC.com and Politically Georgia for the latest.
Otherwise, today’s newsletter offers insight into a contentious state elections board meeting, a historic gift for a local HBCU and the lineup for this year’s Dragon Con festival. Plus, an Atlanta rapper caught up in a case of mistaken identity.
But first: Debby is a downer.
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WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
Debby slammed into Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, killing at least four people.
It quickly downgraded to a tropical storm but continued chugging into South Georgia, where a falling tree left a teenager in Moultrie dead.
And the Peach State perils are just beginning.
The thing about a storm like Debby? It’s not so much the wind that gets you. It’s the rain.
“The good news is we are not expecting a big wind event,” Joe Marinelli, CEO of Savannah’s convention and visitors bureau, told the AJC. “It’s really just the amount of water.”
During its slow, multiday slog toward the Atlantic, forecasters expect Debby to dump as much as 16 inches on Georgia’s low-lying coastal areas. That started early Monday in the Valdosta area, where a handful of trees uprooted from the soggy ground helped knock out power for about 25,000 people.
Over in Savannah, it’s a drainage game.
Mayor Van Johnson said more than 2.5 inches of rain in an hour can overwhelm the city’s storm drains. When that happens, streets and homes flood.
“Once the rain gets to the tidal creeks or ocean it shouldn’t be a problem,” local researcher Chuck Watson said. “It’s the getting there that is the bottleneck.”
- Airlines cancel flights as Debby threatens to bring floods
- Georgia farmers fear Debby’s wind and rain
Evacuation orders remain unlikely, but officials urged residents to prepare for devastating flooding. Gov. Brian Kemp ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to stand ready.
President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration as well.
State Sen. Russ Goodman, a South Georgia farmer, put things this way: “Whoever has been praying for rain can stop now.”
Stay tuned to AJC.com for the latest — and find more resources below:
- How to prepare for wind and flooding
- How to find a hotel if you’re leaving flood areas
- What to do to keep your home and car safe during Debby
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ANGST EXPECTED
Fresh off an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, the conservative majority on Georgia’s election board will revisit the same contentious new rules approved during an earlier meeting of questionable legality.
- Among them: a “reasonable inquiry” rule that Democrats and voting advocates fear will be used to refuse to certify election results.
» Related coverage: Police say fight at Trump campaign office fueled by elections rules
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CELEBRITIES & THE LAW
» Former President Trump also weighed in on Fulton County’s Young Thug trial, declaring that the rapper facing gang and racketeering charges had been treated “very unfairly.”
» Fellow Atlanta hip-hopper T.I., meanwhile, endured a wrongful arrest at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to his attorneys. Authorities wanted a different Clifford Harris (T.I.’s birth name).
» Then there’s former reality TV star Julie Chrisley, who says she’d rather stay in her Kentucky prison than attend her upcoming resentencing hearing in Atlanta.
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GAME-CHANGING GIFT
Morehouse School of Medicine is set to receive a whopping $175 million donation from Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic organization.
- The money is part of the largest-ever gift for historically Black colleges and universities. Three other HBCU medical schools will receive the same amount.
- A majority of the donation is expected to fund student scholarships.
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MARKET MATTERS
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,000 points Monday. The AJC’s Michael Kanell writes that a weaker-than-expected jobs report and other factors have some folks fearing a recession.
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HIP-HOP BOBBLEHEAD
The Braves decided to put ERA-leader Reynaldo López on the injured list and give him more time to recover from right forearm inflation. He’s now ineligible until Aug. 17.
- On a happier note: It’s Outkast bobblehead night as the Braves take on the Brewers at Truist Field (7:20 p.m. on TBS). Last year’s event drew flocks of folks seeking the beauty shown above.
More sports highlights:
- Georgia football came in at No. 1 in the first Coaches Poll Top 25, edging out Ohio State.
- The Falcons are revved up for joint practices with the Dolphins today and tomorrow in Miami.
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NERDS UNITE!
The lineup for this year’s Dragon Con, Atlanta’s geekiest Labor Day weekend tradition, is out. And it’s a banger.
- Among the stars slated to attend: John Cleese (“Monty Python”), Colbie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”), Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) and Vincent D’Onofrio (“Law & Order”).
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Jermaine Dupri set to kick off Emory’s inaugural Ideas Festival
» Atlanta officer arrested after fatal shooting in South Fulton
» With school underway, Gwinnett remains at impasse over AP course
» Atlanta’s new school superintendent says he’ll put work ahead of words
» 11Alive reporter Jerry Carnes retiring after 35 years at the station
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ON THIS DATE
Aug. 6, 1962
The Atlanta Constitution marked the death of actress Marilyn Monroe by calling her the “blonde sex symbol of the modern generation,” describing her as “depressed about her skidding movie career” and including details about how officials found her body.
Plus an odd pair of side-by-side photos showing her “change in appearance” since the previous year.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Associated Press photographer Abbie Parr caught U.S. gymnasts Simone Biles (left, silver) and Jordan Chiles (right, bronze) enjoying a moment of levity with floor routine gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil. More Olympics coverage here.
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ONE MORE THING
Lifeline Animal Project’s shelters in DeKalb and Fulton counties are slam full of dogs again. Consider adopting a new canine companion, if you can!
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
