Idalia’s approach from the Gulf poses challenges on Georgia coast

Coastal Georgians typically know what to do as a hurricane approaches the state’s shoreline: Evacuate.

But to run from Idalia would mean evacuating into the path of the storm. The Category 3 hurricane made landfall Wednesday morning on Florida’s Gulf coast and cut a northeasterly path through the state. Its center was crossing into Georgia at 11 a.m., about 20 miles south-southeast of Valdosta.

With millions sheltering in place, coastal Georgia emergency management officials are forced to approach the storm differently. Instead of a focus on the logistics of moving people out of danger, the priority is the hurricane’s “human impact,” said Chatham Emergency Management Agency Director Dennis Jones.

“How does it affect those who are infirmed? How does it affect the hospitals and long-term care facilities?” Jones said. “We have to ensure that those preparedness measures are in place.”

Sailboat owners Shawn Murphy, right, and his wife Sandy Murphy duck under some caution tape as they leave the marina after securing their 48-catamaran at the docks as Hurricane Idalia's bands start to impact the area Wednesday in Savannah

The storm’s origin makes no difference in one area: the power grid. Georgia Power’s Audrey King, the president of the utility’s southern region, said repair crews are already strategically placed along the Georgia coast in anticipation of power outages.

Georgia Power’s parent, Southern Company, deployed staff from Alabama Power and Mississippi Power earlier this week to assist.