Cleanup and repair efforts were underway Monday after Hurricane Matthew flooded cities, killed at least 17 people in the United States and left thousands of Georgians in the dark.
Chatham County reported 87,277 power outages Monday; Effingham, 17,627; and Glynn, 15,710, according to Channel 2 Action News.
The Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, a statewide trade association, reported 40,000 outages Sunday night.
Power loss was hardly the most devastating blow from Matthew.
The storm, a Category 2 hurricane when it swept up the Georgia coast early Saturday, killed at least three people in the state. Officials were unsure if a fourth reported death was caused by the storm. Eight people in North Carolina and six people in Florida died, according to The New York Times.
Tybee Mayor Jason Buelterman said Matthew was the worst hurricane in more than 100 years. A tidal gauge at Fort Pulaski, just outside town, hit a record 12.56 feet, which exceeded the previous high of 12.2 feet set during Hurricane David in 1979. Flooding typically starts at 9.8 feet.
Buelterman praised the majority of Tybee residents who evacuated before Matthew arrived.
Gov. Nathan Deal lifted mandatory evacuation orders for coastal Georgia Sunday, allowing residents displaced by Mathew to return home.
However, outages and other repair efforts prevented some residents from doing that.
Only repair crews and homeowners with special permission were allowed back in Glynn after the loss of power on St. Simons Island led to a sewage system defect that may have allowed contaminants into the island’s water system.
Glynn authorities said Sunday night it still wasn’t safe to return to the island.
“The limited sewer capacity has created a potential severe public health issue,” county spokeswoman Kathryn Downs said in a press release Sunday evening. “As of 7 p.m., more than 80 percent of the sewer system infrastructure is non-operational.”
Authorities plan to issue an update on repair efforts at 10 a.m.
“We understand the frustration why people want to get back to their homes,” Glynn police Chief Matt Doering said. “With that said, we want them also to understand we have extra officers that are dedicated to the neighborhood to ensure their homes are protected.”
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ATLANTA FORECAST
Today: Mostly sunny. High: 77
Tonight: Mostly clear. Low: 51
Tomorrow: Sunny. High: 75
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
It’s not summer anymore, metro Atlanta.
Parts of the metro area experienced some of the lowest morning temperatures since about mid-May, according to Channel 2.
Temperatures were 69 degrees in Atlanta, 65 in Blairsville and 69 in Griffin just before 1 p.m.
Temps are expected to reach 74 degrees by 2 p.m. and increase to a high of 77 by 5 p.m.
“It’s just going to be a dry forecast for the next several days,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said.
No rain is in the forecast until Sunday. Even then, the chance of rain is minimal.
