Gwinnett County has cancelled its annual Sept. 11 ceremony as it begins to prepare for the approach of Hurricane Irma.
The ceremony typically held at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Lawrenceville was cancelled so emergency personnel can “focus [their] attention on keeping the community safe as inclement weather approaches,” Gwinnett County fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in an emailed statement.
MORE: President Trump declares a state of emergency in Georgia ahead of Hurricane Irma
As of Friday afternoon, Gwinnett’s preparations for Irma — which was projected to strike part of Florida but bring strong winds and heavy rain to metro Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday — included coordinating with local cities and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
Gwinnett’s own EMA is monitoring the situation, county spokesman Joe Sorenson said, but the county’s emergency operations center had not been activated.
“Gwinnett [emergency management] has been with the state with their sheltering efforts, but currently, no shelters are open in Gwinnett,” Sorenson wrote in an email.
In a Friday morning Facebook post, Gwinnett County Public Schools said it too was monitoring the situation.
“Any changes to school schedules next week will be communicated using GCPS' normal communication channels ... once we have more information and those decisions are made,” the post said.
HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
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