The Georgia Emergency Management Agency will activate its state operations center at 9 tonight ahead of strong storms moving into the state. The storms have left 16 dead in the Midwest.
GEMA spokeswoman Crystal Paulk-Buchanan said dozens of representatives from agencies including the Department of Natural Resources, the State Patrol, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the American Red Cross and housing agencies will report to the underground center on Confederate Avenue in Atlanta on tonight.
“You’ve seen what happened in Arkansas and it’s the same storm,” Paulk-Buchanan said. “This thing bears watching.”
Forecasters have warned millions to prepare for the severe storms marching into the South. Buildings, power lines and trees across the Midwest and into Mississippi have already been flattened. The 16 deaths reported so far were in Arkansas, Iowa and Oklahoma.
The National Weather Service said the Atlanta area could see up to 5 inches of heavy rain from the storm
This storm is bearing down on Georgia three years and a day after another one spawned more than 160 tornadoes in several states, including Georgia. Almost 330 people were killed in the 2011 storm, 15 in Georgia and 210 in Alabama. Georgia suffered $74 million in damage, with 16 counties declared federal disasters.
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