ATLANTA — Although Hurricane Sally made landfall early Wednesday impacting coastal states to the west of Georgia, our state is not out of the woods yet.
The National Hurricane Center said Sally hit the coast near Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 2 storm.
The remnants will move over Georgia Thursday and will linger through early Friday. This will bring heavy rain to Georgia, with some areas seeing anywhere from three to six inches of rain.
State agencies want to make sure Georgians are prepared as the storm moves our way. It's expected to be a depression by Thursday when it travels through Georgia.
“As Tropical Storm Sally moves through Georgia, Georgians should pay attention to the weather alerts for their area and follow the guidance of local officials,” said GEMA/HS Director Chris Stallings.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency said due to the severe weather, it is likely that some areas will have downed trees and power lines leading to power outages.
To prepare for the remnants of the storm, they are advising residents to have a way to get weather alerts and have a weather radio.
Below are some other tips:
- In the event of flooding, do not drive or walk through standing water or drive around barricades.
- Stay away from downed power lines to avoid the risk of electric shock or electrocution.
- In the event of a tornado warning, storm cellars or basements provide the best protection. If an underground shelter is not available, go to a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible.
Georgia Power told 11Alive it hasn't made a request for help from other states just yet. However, they are on standby to do so.
The power company said they are prepared to pull crews from cities that aren't impacted and send them to areas affected by the storm. They are also prepared to send crews to help other states, but want to keep as many as they can here in case they are needed.
Here is what Georgia Power is telling customers to do:
- Save your battery on your cell phone and don’t depend on the cell phone flashlight. Have an actual flashlight nearby.
- Try not to light candles due to fire hazards
- Charge all your devices.
- Do not go outside and walk into high water- there may be a downed power line.
- Do not pull at tree limbs - wires may be tangled in them.
RELATED: Tracking remnants of Sally
As for the Georgia Department of Transportation, the agency said its teams statewide have equipment loaded and crews are on alert.
There are also strike teams ready to respond should the storm turn into a severe weather.
They have been doing work ahead of the storm to prepare
“We've been cleaning shoulders and drains all week. However, with the strength of the storm and the amount of rain, it is still likely that we will see flooding in some areas," said Natalie Dale,of GDOT.
Below are some tips from GDOT:
- Call 511 to report flash flooding, downed trees or other obstructions that impede travel on roadways or bridges
- Take shelter as the system passes through the state
- Do not drive around barricades that are in place for motorist safety or through standing water
- Residents should never clear tree limbs, downed trees or debris from roadways, live power lines could be tangled in debris and cause injury or death; instead, wait for Georgia DOT and Georgia Power crews
- Motorists who must drive should always treat flashing red and non-operational signals as a four-way stop
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