Gov. Deal: Georgia shifts to recovery mode after Irma

ALBANY — As tropical storm Irma moved out of Georgia Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal said at a news conference that the state is shifting into recovery mode, cautioning the process will not happen quickly because the massive storm touched every county in the state.

“Recovery is going to be slow, as the storm covered so much territory, so it will take time before everything gets back to a normal environment,” Deal said. “You will hear that theme repeated by some of the people who will be giving you reports in just a minute.”

Deal turned the podium over to Georgia Emergency Management Director Homer Bryson.

“We are urging people to remain in place until officials say it is safe to return home,” Bryson said. “Fuel outages are being reported throughout the state, in addition to the difficulty in resupplying due to the storm. Some stations in south Georgia are also experiencing power outages and flooding of their tanks, which are preventing them from reopening. We also want people to know access to fuel is no guaranteed if they choose to travel south.

“Again, fuel will be an issue, and we are urging everyone to consider that in their decision to return home. We are advising that they wait until they hear an all-clear from their local officials.”

In Albany, Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Rashelle Beasley said at one time there were more than 5,000 evacuees in Dougherty County. An unknown number of Floridians remain in Georgia but will soon be trekking back to the Sunshine State via Interstates 95, 75 and 10. Short fuel supplies and a massive amount of traffic headed south is a major concern.

“All interstates in Georgia are open,” Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said. “We have seen more than triple the traffic volumes on I-75 South. Please heed the advice from Florida and do not come back until your local governments tell you it is safe to do so. And right now, that’s not the message that is being sent. Please have some patience and stay where you are as long as you can.

“We have put 20 patrol service operators, our HEROES and our CHAMPS programs on I-75 from south of metro Atlanta to Florida in 20-mile sections. If people run out of fuel, please understand we’ll only give you enough fuel to get to the next exit, so please limit your travel on I-75.”

McMurry added that drivers seeking traffic information should call 511. If anyone needs Florida information, the call will be transferred.

Georgia Power President and CEO Paul Bowers said the company is working as fast as it can to restore power to nearly 1 million Georgians impacted by Irma.

“The storm left a path of destruction not only in Florida, but all across Georgia,” Bowers said. “When you think about the devastation, there isn’t a region in this state that hasn’t been affected by power outages. Within the metro regions, we had 400,000 customers affected. We’ve restored power for 20 percent of those affected. Let me reiterate, every region of this state has been affected, and it’s going to take some time to get back to normal.

“But our focus is to get customers back on line and back to normal as fast as we can.”

In Albany, Assistant City Manager Phil Roberson said 7,500 homes and businesses lost power at the height of the storm Monday. As of midday Tuesday, Dougherty EMA Deputy Director Jenna Wirtz said just 200 to 300 were still without power.

The Dougherty County School System will re-open today as planned. All schools and offices will resume normal operations. Thursday and Friday’s early dismissal for parent-teacher conferences will go on as planned. Lee County Schools and Deerfield Windsor School will also resume normal operations today.

Mitchell County and Worth County schools, however, will remain closed today.