Evacuees Can Now Return To Chatham County: Hurricane Irma

(Updated 2:55 p.m. Tuesday) SAVANNAH, GA — Regular city operations and services will resume Wednesday morning as Savannah begins the slow recovery work from the impact of the storm that was once Hurricane Irma. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

All city operations will resume at 8 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. Parking meters and garages in Savannah will remain free until then. Chatham County offices, recreational sites and courthouses will also resume operations Wednesday.

The storm surge warning, tornado warning, hurricane watch and flash flood warning have been lifted. By 6 a.m. Tuesday, Irma had weakened to what the National Hurricane Center calls a post-tropical cyclone.

Mayor Eddie DeLoach said residents who evacuated are free to return to Savannah Tuesday. Residents who had been bused to Augusta through EAA transport from the city will be transported back to Savannah Tuesday and Wednesday. CAT will utilize their normal routes to get people home. Regular routes and paratransit service will resume Wednesday.

"We're looking forward to bringing those folks that have been away from us back to Savannah," DeLoach said in an interview Tuesday morning. "For those that are listening, be sure to hold on and hang on, and we'll be able to bring y'all back in the next day or so."

Pets that were evacuated will be returned on Wednesday. Owners should contact Chatham County Animal Services at 912-652-6575 to arrange for pick-up. The Chatham County Animal Services is located at 7211 Sallie Mood Drive.

Savannah's Property Maintenance Team is currently conducting damage assessments on the homes of special needs people who evacuated to make sure their homes are safe before they return.

Power is still out for thousands in Chatham County, but Georgia Power is working diligently to restore it, officials said. According to Georgia Power, about 787,000 people throughout Georgia remained without power shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday.

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."

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

See Also:

• When Will Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools Reopen?: Hurricane Irma
  
• Savannah Airport To Resume Flights Tuesday
• Chatham County Curfew Imposed Monday Night
• Over 70K Chatham County Residents Without Power
• Very Little Damage Reported In Savannah Monday
• Highway 80 To Tybee Island Closed
• Savannah-Chatham Schools Roll Out Schedules

"Well, we dodged another one. We've been very fortunate to have missed the significant impacts of Hurricane Irma, however we were not untouched," City Manager Rob Hernandez said in an interview Tuesday morning.

Hernandez said officials are working to assess any damage to city facilities, roadways and infrastructure. Hernandez said Hurricane Matthew caused more damage to the city last year.

"Two years in a row now, the city performed exceptionally well," Hernandez said. "We thank all of you."

President Street is back open as of Tuesday morning. Residents are urged to drive safely. Ferry Service is suspended until further notice, Chatham Area Transit officials said. Savannah-Chatham County public schools will reopen Monday. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is prepared to resume commercial air service Tuesday.

Local colleges and universities are assessing their facilities and as of now, the following will be closed through Wednesday:

• Savannah State University
• Armstrong State University
• Georgia Southern University
• Savannah Technical College

Candler Hospital will reopen Wednesday. St. Joseph’s and Memorial Hospital emergency rooms are now open, officials said.

Chatham County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center will be in full operation as of Wednesday. Residents are encouraged to contact their local municipality for hours of operation and services.

The EOC call center will continue to answer questions throughout Tuesday, so citizens should utilize this service and refrain from calling 911 for non-emergency concerns.

Other parts of Georgia were rocked by Irma. 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.

The real damage was on the islands due to the rise of the tide and the surge, DeLoach said.

Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman had to return to the island via helicopter, and said in a Facebook post that the island's bridges were expected to be inspected for safety Tuesday morning. Buelterman said he had been in contact with state and local officials, including the White House, in an effort to speed up the inspections.

"We know that we have many people who want to get off the Island -- as we have no power -- and many, many more trying to get on the Island," Buelterman said in the post.

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," Buelterman said.

Chatham EMA gives the following tips on what to do after a storm:

• Listen to local officials for updates and instructions.
• Use texts or social media to check in with friends and family.
• Watch out for debris and downed power lines.
• Photograph the damage to your property to assist in filing an insurance claim.
• Stay out of damaged buildings and homes until local authorities say its safe.

For individuals in need of assistance, they are asked to call 800-451-1954.

Here's the latest forecast for the rest of the week by The National Weather Service:

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind 10 to 13 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers after 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Photo: City of Savannah Government