UPDATE: Alpharetta has closed its city hall. The city plans to reopen at 8:30 a.m.

ORIGINAL STORY: Across metro Atlanta, schools are closedMARTA has stopped operating and businesses have told their workers to stay home as Irma, now a tropical storm, barrels into town.

In Alpharetta, it’s a normal Monday morning at City Hall.

Parts of Georgia could get up to 7 inches of rain before Tuesday morning.

"We still have residents who are preparing for the brunt of the storm," said James Drinkard, the assistant city administrator. "They have questions; they have needs. They need to know we're here to help them."

Alpharetta has canceled its Monday evening city council meeting and its trash pickup both Monday and Tuesday. But City Hall will stay open, Drinkard said.

“It communicates to them that it’s going to be kind of nasty, but it’s going to be OK,” he said. “When you’re the local government, you have to be the foundation for people to lean on when things get rough.”

Other metro Atlanta cities that opened Monday morning are closing their doors. Snellville will shut down at noon because of the weather, while Sandy Springs is closing at 1 p.m.

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