Governor Brian Kemp has extended the State of Emergency for all 159 Georgia counties through August 15 in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.
Kemp declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, August 4, as Debby bore down on the Gulf. That order was set to expire on August 8.
The storm hit the Georgia coast with heavy rain, dumping around 10 inches on Savannah over several days — more than twice the amount of rainfall the city normally gets in August.
“This storm was different,” Mayor Van Johnson said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “Usually [when] you see a hurricane, it’s coming from the front…and it’s wind and it’s storm surge and all these things. No, this was something different. Debby was a mean girl. She came from behind us, snuck up on us, then sat and just stayed there and just rained and rained and rained.”
Kemp toured storm-damaged areas of South Georgia on Thursday.
The White House has also issued an Emergency Declaration for Georgia, freeing up direct federal assistance to help with the state’s cleanup.
