Hurricane Irma: 7 p.m. Closure For All Publix In Metro Atlanta

DECATUR, GA -- All Publix super markets in metro Atlanta will close at 7 p.m. Monday due to the effects of Hurricane Irma, Patch confirmed with a company representative. The grocery store will re-open at 7 a.m., the Florida-based chain said.

"Due to Hurricane Irma, a number of our stores will be adjusting their operating hours," the grocery store said on its national website. "We continue to work aggressively to collect and verify data pertaining to each of our stores and facilities affected by Irma." (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Metro Atlanta began to feel the effects of the tropical-force winds blown by the remnants of Hurricane Irma on Monday evening. Several roads were closed in the area as more than 1 million people across Georgia were in the dark. The inclement weather increased the risks of falling trees and strong wind gusts as the day wore on, officials said. Metro Atlanta will continue to feel the effects of the fast-moving storm until the sunshine returns Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

In Sandy Springs a 55-year-old man was killed Monday when a tree fell on his home, officials said. Fulton County, like DeKalb, has been under a tropical storm watch since Sunday afternoon due to the rapid northerly churn of Irma. Early Monday, more than 175 residences in metro Atlanta were available free of charge for Airbnb users as part of its disaster response program. The initiative is for those fleeing Irma and helpers deployed to the area.

Georgia Tech announced that its game against the University of Central Florida has been canceled due to the storm. Additionally, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has asked state universities to help in the coming days with efforts around recovery of the hurricane. UCF will have about 1,000 members of the National Guard on its campus.

Hurricane Irma live updates: Millions without power, searches underway

DeKalb firefighters were in the process Monday of putting additional emergency response units in service, officials said. The DeKalb government sent a message to residents to "shelter in place" as the weather deteriorated.

Read more: 30,000 people without power in DeKalb

In addition to 30,000 people being in the dark in DeKalb, the county said that Georgia Power workers were actively assessing the situation. Wind gusts midday were around 35 miles per hour, with scattered power outages, DeKalb said.

Irma had weakened considerably by Monday afternoon, but was still dangerous, leaving a path of destruction from the Florida Keys right up to Atlanta's doorstep.

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Public safety officials in Miami were still assessing the damage as millions of people reported that their power was out in South Florida.

Tropical storm-force winds are expected to thrash Georgia and parts of metro Atlanta for much of Monday.

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