Georgia's emergency response to the epic storm rumbling through the state is shifting east to Augusta, where sheets of ice have made most roads impassable and knocked out power to most of the area's residents.
Gov. Nathan Deal plans to fly to Augusta on Thursday afternoon with the leaders of the Georgia National Guard and other top officials to survey the damage. Complicating the response are forecasts that plunging temperatures could refreeze ice and snow on the roads early Friday.
“We’re not totally through this. When you see all this snow out there, when it starts to melt and it starts to refreeze, ice becomes a very dangerous commodity,” Deal said. “And the Augusta area can attest to that right now.”
Deal said he knows the tens of thousands of residents without power are in a “bad place,” but he urged them to hang tight. He said 200 strike teams of first responders with chain saws are descending on east Georgia to remove debris and clear roadways. The Georgia National Guard has also dispatched several units to the area.
The governor said Georgia’s emergency management agency is rushing generators to hospitals and other high-need facilities. Georgia Power chief executive Paul Bowers was also at the statehouse on Thursday to brief the governor on the utility’s response.
State officials haven’t decided whether to close government again on Friday, and school administrators are grappling with the same decision. Deal said he’s been pleased with the government’s response to the storm, which strikes a notable contrast to the Jan. 28 gridlock that embarrassed Atlanta.
But he warned it’s not over yet.
“Let’s don’t let up yet. It’s nice to see the sun, it’s nice to think that you’re going to be able to get out, but be careful,” he said. “Because tomorrow morning those roads are going to be slick.”
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