Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

66K people in Valdosta will ride out the worst of Irma without power

Fallen trees like this one in south Valdosta are causing power outages to half of all customers in Lowndes County, Georgia.

Credit: Courtesy of Valdosta police

Credit: Courtesy of Valdosta police

Fallen trees like this one in south Valdosta are causing power outages to half of all customers in Lowndes County, Georgia.
By Ben Brasch
Sept 11, 2017

There were 66,000 customers without power in Lowndes County heading into what is expected to be the worst six hours of Tropical Storm Irma for the South Georgia border city, county spokeswoman Paige Dukes said at 10:30 a.m.

For some perspective: The U.S. Census mostly recently estimated that the county's population was about 114,000.

Irma was supposed to bring hurricane-force winds, that means 74 mph or above, into the Valdosta area for six hours starting at 11 a.m. Monday, according to what head of county emergency services Ashley Tye told officials.

Georgia DOT: With Irma approaching, stay off the roads

Due to the strong winds, Tye recommended about 9 a.m. that all emergency vehicles get off the roads. That means no utility crews will come to restore power until it is safe for them to head out.

No one has been injured by the strong winds, Dukes said, but a tree has fallen on a Valdosta fire department vehicle.

The county announced a curfew for all residents about 9 a.m.

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Downtown Valdosta was mostly empty as residents stayed home under encouragement from Lowndes County officials.

About the Author

Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.

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