State agency ready to deply 860 employees, 1033 pieces of equipment if needed in response to Hurricane Dorian
ATLANTA, GA – As Hurricane Dorian continues to strengthen and take aim for Florida, Georgia officials are watching and preparing for its potential impacts. This may include heavy rain and flooding in south and central Georgia, as well as a potential influx of evacuees from Florida.
“I urge our citizens to be ready to move very quickly. We still don’t know a lot about the path this storm will take,” Gov. Brian Kemp said at a 1 p.m. news conference today. “We should know more in the next 24 hours.”
Kemp declares State of Emergency in 12 Georgia counties ahead of Hurricane Dorian
Georgia DOT says it’s prepared to respond to the impending storm. The agency says there are 860 GDOT employees and 1033 pieces of equipment ready to deploy as needed.
“The safety of the traveling public is a top priority as Georgia DOT readies for possible tropical storm or hurricane conditions including torrential rainfall, strong winds with potential for downed trees and power lines and possible tornadoes in the south and coastal regions of the state,” the agency says in a press release.
The agency will focus its efforts on maintaining roads and bridges before, during and after the storm. GDOT says it has Special Response Teams ready to deploy, and each region of the state has employees ready to deploy for hurricane preparation and cleanup. Bridge Inspection teams are at the ready to monitor the potential need for bridge closures in coastal Georgia.
GDOT’s Transportation Management Center (TMC) is monitoring traffic conditions statewide. GDOT will stage more heavily concentrated CHAMP patrols on I-75 near the Georgia/Florida border as needed.
Transportation officials urge motorists to stay alert for falling trees due to high winds. They also encourage motoristst to strongly consider using alternate routes besides interstate highways. “Often during evacuations, interstates are heavily congested while state routes go largely unused,” the agency says. “State routes are a viable alternative to interstates.”
GDOT crews will continue monitoring road conditions. If flooding occurs, crews will wait until water recedes to assess the situation. If motorists see flash flooding, trees down or other obstructions impeding travel on roadways or bridges, they are urged to contact 511 and speak with an operator to report the incident.
For real-time road conditions, call 511 or visit Georgia511. For weather information, visit the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida, or the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia. Visit www.dot.ga.gov/DS/Emergency/
