With the Statesboro area and most of Georgia under a tropical storm warning and this area also under a tornado watch, Bulloch County Schools dismissed early Thursday and – along with public schools in all neighboring counties – will remain closed Friday.
Still over the Gulf of Mexico about 130 miles west of Tampa as of 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Hurricane Helene packed 125 mph winds, making it “a large major hurricane,” according to a National Hurricane Center public advisory at that time. Specifically, it was a Category 3, and possibly intensifying further before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida later Thursday evening. From there, the storm’s forecast “cone of probability” on NHC and National Weather Service maps had it passing south to north through western Georgia.
But such maps are intended to predict the path of a storm’s center, and this hurricane is so wide that it was expected to reach across Georgia with tropical storm force winds, meaning above 39 mph, in Bulloch and neighboring counties.
When the NWS updated a localized tropical storm warning advisory for Statesboro, Portal and the Denmark community at 5:09 p.m. Thursday it included a “peak wind forecast” of 25-35 mph with gusts to 65 mph.
It also stated: “Situation is very favorable for tornadoes” and “Potential for many tornadoes.”
EOC operating
So, the Bulloch County EOC, or Emergency Operations Center, was remaining active with some personnel present overnight for communications and direct response, said Emergency Management Director Corey Kemp. In a planning discussion, leaders of the various agencies had gone over when they will respond and when they may not be able to do so, he said when called for an update about 2:15 p.m. Thursday.
“We made sure everybody was aware of our response as far as EMS, fire and police, that beyond 40 to 45 mile-per-hour winds we’re only going to respond in life-or-death situations,” Kemp said. “We also discussed roads and road maps and road closures, how we will handle those by posting a GIS map of the entire county of road closures where people can see what’s closed and what’s open.”
The EOC would remain staffed for at least 24 hours from that point, he said. Of course the 911 center, with the number to call for life-threatening emergencies and situations that pose a danger to the public such as trees and power lines in roadways, is staffed that way every day.
County staff members post storm-related advisories on the “Bulloch County Public Safety and EMA” Facebook page, which is where Kemp said the hazards map will be available for the public.
The county Public Safety staff, and Kemp as its Emergency Management Agency chief, also send out alerts via CodeRED, an emergency alert system to which Bulloch County and the city of Statesboro subscribe. A shortened link to the signup page is https://bit.ly/2zkAdOl
No curfew, but …
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, no formal curfew had been declared. But Sheriff Noel Brown had a notice posted on the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office social media, “urging everyone to please stay off the roads between midnight and 6 a.m. in the morning.”
“The approaching storm is expected to bring high winds, which may lead to fallen trees and other hazards on the roadways,” the statement continued. “Please stay safe and avoid unnecessary travel during these hours.”
Schools closed Friday
Bulloch County Schools sent out a notice Wednesday evening that the schools would be open for only a half-day on Thursday, Sept. 26, and will be closed Friday.
“This decision follows guidance from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, recommending early dismissal and closure for schools south of Macon,” stated the release issued by BCS Public Relations Director Hayley Greene.
“All schools will dismiss two hours earlier on Thursday for both car and bus riders,” the notice continued. “Please plan for this adjusted schedule to ensure a smooth dismissal. There will be no after-school activities on Thursday. Look for updates from your school regarding Friday's extracurricular events.”
After advising parents to remain alert for further updates, the notice concluded, “Schools look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday. … Stay safe.”
A search of Facebook postings by public school systems in the neighboring counties – Bryan, Candler, Evans, Jenkins, Screven, Effingham and Emanuel – showed that all are also closed Friday. All or most also cited the advice of the state agency, GEMA.
So did a notice issued Thursday afternoon by the largest private school in Statesboro, Bulloch Academy.
An email from Morgan Conner, the academy’s public relations director, stated: “With the recent recommendation by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency for the early closure of all schools today and all-day closure tomorrow, Bulloch Academy will cancel ALL activities at 5 p.m. today, including after-school care. BA will be closed tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 27) in compliance with this recommendation.”
University’s status
The previous evening, Georgia Southern University had announced that it would “reduce operations” beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, because of the hurricane.
The statement released by University Communications Director Jennifer Wise continued: “Only essential personnel should be on campus beginning Thursday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. The University will return to normal operations once an ‘all clear’ is issued, expected on Friday, Sept. 27. Information on the University’s operations is posted to the University Alert Center at GeorgiaSouthern.edu/alert.”
A 3:40 p.m. Thursday update at that site stated that university officials “anticipate a return to normal operations on all campuses at noon of Friday, Sept. 27,” but emphasized that this was an “anticipated” timeframe and that the exact time of the return to normal would be shared with students and employees through an Eagle Alert on Friday.
Meanwhile, Ogeechee Technical College, which doesn’t have classes on Fridays anyway, had issued a notice Wednesday that “out of an abundance of caution” its campus was closing at noon (12 p.m.) Thursday.
Power companies
Georgia Power Company, in a release Thursday, touted preparations that include calling on a nationwide mutual assurance network to deal without outages and disruptions. In this case, Georgia Power will have the help of crews from more than 35 companies in 11 states, as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“As the majority of the state of Georgia prepares to feel impacts from the storm, the company has aligned the right resources – more than 10,000 personnel on the ground currently – and continues to refine plans as the storm gets closer to ensure a safe and effective response,” the release asserted.
Customers can visit the Outage & Storm Center at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Storm to check that their contact information is updated to receive Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages and access safety tips. They can also report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.
Excelsior Electric Membership Corporation, the rural power co-op with offices in Metter and Statesboro, issued a media release Wednesday stating that it was “closely monitoring the storm's development and is fully prepared to respond to potential outages and service disruptions.”
Besides having “all Excelsior EMC crews are on high alert” the company has “additional personnel and contractors ready to assist with storm response,” the release stated. The co-op’s offices are expected to open to the public Friday, but not until 9 a.m., it added.
Excelsior customers can report outages by calling 912-685-2115 or 912-764-2123, or through the EMC’s mobile app. For real-time outage updates, there’s an outage map at https://outage.excelsioremc.com/ .
Excelsior also offered these tips and safety reminders:
1. Prepare for Potential Outages: Have a storm kit ready with essentials like batteries, flashlights, water, and non-perishable food.
2. Stay Away from Downed Power Lines: Always assume downed lines are energized. Report them immediately to (your power company) or local authorities.
3. Generator Safety: If using a generator, ensure it is connected properly to avoid back feeding that can endanger linemen and your household.