All counties across Georgia are now under a State of Emergency order in preparation for Hurricane Ian's impact later this week.
Governor Brian Kemp issued the order earlier today. It will go into effect at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, and will expire at midnight on Friday, Oct. 28.
The hurricane will move through the state beginning on Friday and exiting on Sunday.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) remains at a Level 2 elevated activation and continues to monitor Hurricane Ian's progress.
Governor Kemp, GEMA/HS officials, and other leaders are working closely with local officials on planned and implemented storm response.
GEMA/HS also has teams standing by to deploy to affected counties, when appropriate.
In addition to the order, the State Operations Center began activity on Monday morning. This will ensure all state, local, and federal agencies are closely coordinating on storm preparations and response.
Current weather overview:
Hurricane Ian is now a Category 3 hurricane moving north at roughly 10 mph with maximum winds of 115 mph.
It is forecast to reach Category 4 status before slowly weakening tonight and during its expected landfall tomorrow and Thursday over west-central Florida.
Ian will likely impact Southeastern Georgia beginning on Friday with a possible tropical storm or tropical depression.
Though there is still uncertainty about its ultimate path on Friday and into the weekend, tropical storm force winds of over 40 mph will be possible across all of Georgia on Friday and Saturday.
Damaging winds, downed trees and powerlines will be possible statewide, even well away from the center of the storm.
Widespread rainfall of two-to-four inches is also possible statewide. Four-to-six inches of rain is forecast in Southeast Georgia. Flash flooding, power outages, and other dangerous situations are possible, especially in Southeast Georgia.
Tropical storm warning: Camden and Glynn counties
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Camden and Glynn Counties, as well as a Tropical Storm Watch for the remainder of the Georgia coast.
Tropical storm conditions will be possible along the entire coastline of Georgia tomorrow through Saturday. This may cause:
- Moderate to major coastal flooding
- Dangerous rip currents
- Beach erosion
Three-to-five feet of storm surge above ground level will be possible in surge-prone areas along the entire Georgia coast. Heavy rainfall in Southeast Georgia will exacerbate any flooding issues that develop.
How to prepare:
Governor Kemp urges all Georgians to remain weather alert and to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families.
Residents who are in vulnerable housing situations, including those in low-lying areas or at-risk floodplains, should consider relocating temporarily to higher ground.
All of South and Coastal Georgia should pay close attention to guidance from local officials and review family emergency plans with those in their care.
Additional suggestions:
- Prepare ready kits
- Review communications plans
- Pay attention to guidance from local officials and trusted news sources for the most up-to-date information.
Visit gema.georgia.gov for more information. The full State of Emergency executive order 09.27.22.01 can be found here.
