KINGSLAND, Ga. — Southeast Georgia was busy Sunday as several agencies started making arrangements for a winter storm in midweek.
Camden County Emergency Management Director Chuck White figures they’ll have about 15 or so people come to the cold weather shelter they’ve set up at the Camden Community Recreation Center, and they just want to make sure it’s there for anyone who needs it.
Opening it up is really just one of the first steps they’re taking in preparing for the week ahead.
“The threat of hypothermia in what we’re getting forecast starting even overnight tonight, especially into Thursday at some point, could be life threatening, especially for those that are unsheltered,” said White.
White says the county’s priority in the extreme cold is life – so that’s why getting the cold weather shelter open was step one.
With that open and staffed, they can meet to talk about next steps when it comes to roads.
“We may be putting sand out on those bridges and looking at all roadways and then at some point, if we really feel like conditions are getting very unsafe, we would go out with an all call to try to get the public to stay off the roadways unless it’s urgent for them to be in transit,” said White.
The Georgia Department of Transportation spent Sunday making sure major roadways are ready to handle the winter weather.
-Thirty-one bucket trucks each with 5,000 gallons of brine covered interstates throughout Georgia, including I-95 in Glynn and Camden Counties.
GDOT also has the ability to fit dump trucks with snow plows if it comes to it.
Okefenokee REMC is preparing for the possibility of power outages – with their coverage area spanning from Macclenny up to Jesup facing a wide range of possible winter weather outcomes.
“If it is ice, and or freezing rain that leads to ice, that’s going to weigh down limbs, which they can break off and land on the lines or when the ice starts to melt, they can snap back up, which can also be a problem,” said Spokesperson Michele Hutchins.
Hutchins says crews will be standing by to handle any outages that pop up.
“85% of our system was down with Helene, but we had all power restored in five days,” said Hutchins. “The best protection is preparation.”
White says county leaders will come together in Monday morning to go over the forecast for the week ahead and looking at the mitigation efforts they need to take.
