Gov. Brian Kemp said Georgia authorities are preparing for flash flooding, downed trees and heavy rainfall as Hurricane Idalia carves a menacing path from Florida’s Gulf coast to South Georgia.
The storm toppled trees and flooded towns after making landfall in Florida early Wednesday, weakening to Category 1 strength as it churned through Georgia. Still, Kemp and other Georgia officials warned it could pack a powerful punch.
“It’s very hard-hitting and we’re certainly watching that,” the governor said. He added that there’s no injuries or deaths reported in Georgia, though there is storm-related damage in parts of rural Georgia.
Some 61,000 households in Georgia were without power, and high winds and flooding could bring more threats. (RELATED: Georgia Power outage map)
Credit: Greg Bluestein
Credit: Greg Bluestein
”It’s still a very dangerous situation that people need to prepare for,” said Kemp. “This is still a bad storm that’s coming through … People need to be ready when it comes through.”
The governor said the storm initially doesn’t appear to pose the same threats as Hurricane Michael, which caused generational damage to farming communities across south Georgia in October 2018.
”It’s definitely different than Michael - in a good way, not that any of these things are good,” Kemp said. “I have not been hearing from any farmers yet in regards to any crop damage.”
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