Governor Brian Kemp issued an updated state of emergency for all 159 Georgia counties and directed the state operations center to activate Friday as Hurricane Isaias approaches the Gulf Coast.
Governor Brian Kemp on Thursday issued an updated state of emergency covering all 159 Georgia counties as Hurricane Isaias moved toward the northern Gulf Coast. The executive order lets emergency managers arrange resources before expected impacts Friday night into Saturday.
The order directs the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to activate the State Operations Center beginning early Friday afternoon. Kemp said Georgians should prepare now with food, batteries, flashlights, water and other supplies. He said the state was hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
GEMA director Josh Lamb said the agency was coordinating with local, state and federal partners and that all parts of the state could see effects. The governor's office listed possible impacts as strong gusts, heavy rain, spin-off tornadoes, downed trees and power lines, and flooding.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the order sits alongside an earlier emergency declaration that suspended the state gas tax and truck weight limits, and that officials made up to 500 National Guard troops available. Landfall was still expected late Friday or early Saturday between the Mississippi coast and the western Florida Panhandle.
The declaration is a state preparedness step, not a landfall report. It does not itself confirm damage in Georgia.
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- Kemp said the state was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
- Josh Lamb said ensuring the safety of Georgians was the top priority.