Gov. Kemp signs new State of the Emergency order ahead of Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton at 21.7°N - 91.3°W over the Gulf of Mexico (Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
ATLANTA - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the State of Emergency for multiple counties as residents and businesses continue to recover from Hurricane Helene.
The original executive order was issued Oct. 1 and was set to expire Oct. 9. It has now been renewed for 7 days for the following counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, Madison, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Newton, Pierce, Putnam, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and Worth.
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Additionally, Gov. Kemp declared a State of Emergency for several counties that may be impacted by Hurricane Milton as it makes landfall along the western coast of Florida's peninsula on Wednesday evening.
According to the executive order, the National Hurricane Center is predicting Hurricane Milton may produce severe impacts in several areas in Georgia, including flash flooding from substantial rainfall and downed trees and power outages due to strong winds.
The counties that may be impacted by Hurricane Milton include:
Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Bibb, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Crisp, Dougherty, Echols, Effingham, Evans, Glynn, Houston, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, McIntosh, Monroe, Muscogee, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Ware, and Wayne.
The new State of Emergency will coexist with the State of Emergency issued following Hurricane Helene. It will allow for the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Department of Public Safety to take all necessary action to ensure the needed movement of utility vehicles, equipment and personnel in response to power outages. It also gives the Georgia Department of Defense permission to provide up to 250 Georgia National Guard troops to be used in preparation, response, and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Milton.
The governor is urging Georgia residents who may be affected by Hurricane Milton to make preparations now.
Hurricane Milton was a category 4 storm as of early Tuesday. It has the potential to be a direct hit and menacing the same stretch of coastline that was battered by Helene not even two weeks ago.
Traffic has been heavy on Interstate 75 north since early Tuesday morning as Florida residents try to get out of the state before the hurricane makes landfall.