Hurricane Irma: Sandy Springs Closely Monitoring Storm's Track

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- While the direct path of Hurricane Irma remains up in the air, officials in Sandy Springs are wasting no time with coming up with a game plan in the event the storm bears down on metro Atlanta. Officials with the city are closely watching the path of the storm and have already sketched out preliminary plans on how to respond to whatever Irma decides to dump on the Peach State.

Sandy Springs city employees are putting the final touches on its mobilization efforts, spokesperson Sharon Kraun said Thursday. All city support departments -- public safety, public works, communications, finance, IT, facilities and community development -- are all participating in daily briefings to monitor conditions.

Specifically, the city is mobilizing resources such as tree crews, barricades, fuel and other essential equipment needed for crews to respond to problem areas. The city's WebEOC is open, which provides a central online location for plan documents, updates and all reported incidents during the emergency operation period (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

"We’re also in the process of reaching out to neighborhoods within the 100/500 year flood plain areas to make sure they are alerted to the potential of flooding," Kraun added, noting crews are already inspecting known trouble areas related to heavy rain. The city is also working with Georgia Power and other utility partners on storm-related response areas.

Analysis: Irma's 'Cone Of Uncertainty' Is Massive

If you like to have information at your fingertips, the city has created a website specifically focused on Irma, which highlights how you can prepare for Irma. Of course, Sandy Springers are highly encouraged to sign up for Sandy Springs Alerts to receive emergency notifications from the city and keep track of developments by following Sandy Springs' Facebook and Twitter social media accounts.

If the need arises, Hammond Park's gym is a designated shelter, and volunteers from Sandy Springs' Fire Corps will staff the facility. Volunteers with the organization as well as the Citizens On Patrol and Ham Radio operators are also ready to help the city and its residents pull through the storm.

"Our emergency operations team will continue to meet daily and are prepared to open our Emergency Operations Center as soon as needed," Kraun added.

Like Sandy Springs Patch on Facebook!

For those worried about the impact of youngsters at school while in the path of Irma, the Fulton County School System is already keeping a close eye on developments. Spokesperson Susan Hale said its Safety and Security Department is monitoring information from NOAA, the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service for updates.

"At present we are only providing information briefings to our school administrators, since the most affected area is expected to be coastal Georgia," she added. "Should the weather models change and put metro Atlanta in the storm’s path, we will enact the appropriate next steps in our emergency plans."

The latest briefing issued at noon Thursday by the National Weather Service shows Hurricane Irma remains a Category 5 storm, and is moving WNW at 16 mph. The briefing notes this trend is expected to continue for the next 48 to 72 hours and the impact to Georgia is still four to six days away. In North Fulton County, residents can expect tropical storm force winds to begin as early as Sunday and up to 2 inches of rain between Monday and Wednesday.

Gov. Nathan Deal on Thursday added 24 Georgia counties to the six along the Atlantic coast that were already under a state of emergency. The Savannah area is under a mandatory evacuation order starting Saturday morning. Hampton's Atlanta Motor Speedway is open to campers who need a place to stay, while the metro's hotels are nearly full of people fleeing the storm.

So, here's what you can do to prepare for Hurricane Irma's wrath, according to Ready.gov:

• Know where you need to go if you are ordered to evacuate. Be aware of the hurricane evacuation route and have a plan where you will stay.
• Have a disaster plan and disaster kit containing enough supplies for you, your family and pets. This kit should contain a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, medications and copies of your critical information if you need to leave your home.
• If you decide to stay home, be sure you have adequate supplies should you lose power and water and not able to leave for several days due to flooding or blocked roadways.
• Establish a family emergency communication plan.
• Sign up for emergency alerts that have texting and email notification capabilities.
• Make sure you have more than one way to obtain severe weather warnings, such as a NOAA weather radio or app on your smart phone.

Image via Shutterstock