Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on the 21st to prepare for the first cold in five years.
Due to the state of emergency, essential supplies for commercial and residential use, particularly propane gas, can be supplied and will apply to all 159 counties in Georgia and went into effect on the 21st.
With Governor Kemp’s declaration, the state is preparing to handle all state routes and interstates north from Columbus to Macon to Augusta, including preparing snowplows such as salt trucks to relieve road blockages in case of emergency.
Gov. Kemp said officials across Georgia were preparing for hazardous road conditions, downed trees and power lines.
“The temperature we know won’t reach 40 degrees across Georgia until Monday afternoon next week,” the governor said.
Weather expert Brad Nitz said a tangible warning was in effect from midnight Thursday through noon Saturday, and said bitter cold will strike in some areas.
In this regard, special attention was requested that hypothermia should be noted.
A strong gust of wind blew in on Friday morning, causing the wind chill to drop to more than -10 degrees Celsius, and Saturday morning could start at around -11 degrees Celsius, the coldest in nearly eight years since January 2015, he said.
“All Georgians should prepare for the dangerous cold,” Kemp said, warning in particular that “winds could delay power reconnection.” He also added, “It can be very difficult to get staff to repair power outages until it’s safe.”
Emergency Management Agency officials asked people traveling away from home over the Christmas period to “allow neighbors to access their homes in case a pipe bursts.”
<By Eugene Lee>
