The countdown to Hurricane Michael’s arrival has begun. And things are getting serious.
The City of Douglas released a statement about 3:30 p.m. with the following update:
Weather conditions for all of Coffee County are expected to worsen throughout the day. Winds are predicted to reach near hurricane strength during the night with tropical storm winds force winds (40- 60 mph) starting between 6 and 9 p.m. tonight and then nearing hurricane strength during the overnight hours with gust possible in excess of 70 mph. The duration of tropical storm force winds could last for 12 to 15 hours. Please heed warnings; failure to do so could be life threatening.
A county-wide curfew is in place from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Thursda. Businesses, please consider the safety of your employees and help keep citizens safe by following this curfew.
Coffee County is issuing a voluntary evacuation order beginning at 3 p.m. today for mobile home residents and residents of other structures in which they do not feel safe. A Red Cross shelter will be opening at 4 p.m. in the Central Square Complex located at 200 South Madison Ave. Please bring medications with you if needed. Emergency services (EMS, fire, police and utility) will be limited with only responses to life threatening emergencies once wind speeds sustain at 35 mph. until winds subside. Long power outages (several days) can be expected with this storm; if you are on medical equipment requiring power please take the necessary precautions. If you are using portable generators connecting to a home’s power system without proper transfer switches, this can be deadly for utility crews and first responders. Also gas generators should only be used in well ventilated areas.
If you have damage to structures once it is safe to do so send pictures and addresses to coffeecountygaema@gmail.com. It is important that damages are documented and reported. Sign-up for emergency alerts at http://www.hyper-reachgacoffeesign-up.html