3 Dead, Million+ Without Power After Hurricane Irma Soaks Georgia

(Editor's Note: At the bottom of this article is a list of charities and organizations you can donate to to assist with the rebuilding of area affected by Hurricane Irma.)

ATLANTA, GA — Three people were dead and more than a million Georgians remained without power Tuesday afternoon as the state began the slow work of recovery from the impact of the storm that was once Hurricane Irma. Strong winds buffeted the state throughout the day Monday, toppled trees that brought down power lines and killed two people. Also, a car accident killed a baby and critically injured her mother — both of whom were Florida evacuees.

According to Georgia Power, about 657,000 people throughout the state remained without power shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Georgia EMC, which represents the state's various electric membership cooperatives, was reporting another roughly 347,000 customers with no power.

Tuesday's lingering outages were mainly centered around coastal communities like Savannah and Brunswick and the metro Atlanta area, though hot spots also were being reported in Athens and central Georgia's Warner Robins area. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Watch: FEMA Says Irma Clean-Up Will Be A Complex And Frustrating Process

Georgia Power said it had 5,500 personnel working to restore services Tuesday morning and that restoration efforts "may take several days, if not weeks, to complete."

Meanwhile, state emergency officials were encouraging evacuees in the state — be they from Florida or south Georgia — to stay in place for the time being. Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security said shortly after 9 a.m. that 22 bridge inspection teams were at work assessing Irma's damage.

The agency also reported that, by midday Tuesday, there were fuel outages being reported throughout the state, caused by power outages, tank flooding and difficulties gas stations were having getting resupplied. "Fuel access not guaranteed," GEMHSA said on Twitter.

Despite that guidance, around noon Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal lifted the mandatory evacuation order for the six coastal Georgia counties where it had been still in effect. Deals order said that Department of Transportation teams had completed safety inspections on 49 state bridges through Tuesday morning.

In lifting the evacuation order, Deal is allowing local authorities to determine when citizens may safely return home.

SEE ALSO: Baby, Mom Hit By Jeep Were Hurricane Irma Evacuees

Irma, which devastated the Caribbean Islands and struck the Florida Keys Sunday morning as a Category 4 storm, rolled its way into the Peach State Monday, first as a tropical storm then, ultimately as a tropical depression. By early Tuesday, at least three deaths in Georgia had been attributed to the storm, which flooded the state's coastal region and downed trees and power lines from its southern reaches to the north Georgia mountains.

By 6 a.m., Irma had weakened to what the National Hurricane Center calls a post-tropical cyclone. Having rolled mainly across the Georgia-Alabama line, it was bringing sustained winds of 25 m.p.h. and moving north-northwest at about 10 m.p.h.

Rain continued in much of Georgia early Tuesday but was moderate by the previous day's standards. Forecasters with the NHC were predicting another 1-3 inches of rain from the storm Tuesday, bringing a continued risk of flooding in parts of the state.

On Monday, two metro Atlanta deaths — one in Sandy Springs and another in Forsyth County — were attributed to trees falling on homes or vehicles. Also, a baby killed and mother injured in a crash in downtown Woodstock Monday were Irma evacuees.

Mayor Jason Buelterman, who, himself, had to return to the island via helicopter announced at 12:41 p.m. that crews had inspected the bridge on U.S. Highway 80 and deemed it to be safe. It was reopened to traffic Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier Tuesday, he said flooding from Irma far exceeded what the beach community experienced during Hurricane Matthew.

"This is a rough day for our community but we will work to get through it all together," he said.

Glynn County, which includes St. Simons Island and Brunswick, was essentially shut down Tuesday morning due to extreme flooding. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the causeway between St. Simons and the mainland remained closed Tuesday after having been covered with water and local officials were asking residents who remained not to shower in an effort to preserve the community's sewer system.

As of late Monday night, people who had evacuated were being ordered to stay away from the entire county.

In an unusual sign of the times, emergency officials in Camden County — on Georgia's southern border along Interstate 95 — released a statement asking motorists, including evacuees returning to Florida, not to stop there.

The statement said that "no driver services" are available in the county because of Hurricane Irma.

"There is no electricity, water, and sewer services, coupled with no fuel supply or accommodations available to serve the public," the statement, issued Tuesday morning, read. "Officials urge all drivers to plan their trips with the knowledge that Camden County will not be able to fulfill their needs."

Conditions stemming from Irma caused all public school systems and colleges in the state to close, MARTA to suspend bus, rail and mobility services and Delta and other airlines to cancel hundreds of flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest air hub.

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, MARTA had begun limited rail service again and flights were starting to soar out of Hartsfield once again. Schools, however, were giving students and teachers another day to recover.

Douglas County Schools, Paulding County Schools, Cherokee County Schools, Fulton County Schools, as well as Bartow County and Cartersville Schools, were closed due to Irma. The City of Decatur and the DeKalb County School District, Forsyth School System, Gwinnett Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, Cobb and Marietta Schools, also announced they would be closed Monday and Tuesday. Savannah-Chatham County public schools will be closed through Wednesday.

• Team Rubicon
• American Red Cross
• All Hands
• Americares
• South Florida Wildlife Center
• Brigid's Crossing Foundation
• Global Giving
• Save the Children
• UNICEF USA

Photo courtesy Georgia Department of Public Safety