Irma’s strength may limit emergency police response Monday

Bibb County deputies may be answering only life-threatening calls during peak storm hours Monday.

Sheriff David Davis said all deputies have been called in to work, but if the storm gets bad enough, some calls may be unanswered until the threat passes.

“We will get to all calls eventually, but we may have to make some priority decisions,” he said.

Georgians will be on high alert from the effects of Hurricane Irma from Monday morning till Tuesday morning. Some parts of the state could get 7 inches of rain, with heavy sustained wind and wind gusts. That could mean downed trees and power outages.

Davis said he expects the department will closely follow the model laid out by the Columbus Consolidated Government on Sunday. A release from Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson announced in a news release Saturday. The release said Columbus police will respond only to life-threatening calls during peak storm hours.

Columbus was expecting 40 to 60 mph winds as a result of Hurricane Irma, which is expected to drop to a tropical storm by the time it hits Middle Georgia. Davis said winds of 35 to 50 mph are expected in Bibb at the latest projection.

The city of Centerville posted on Facebook Sunday that a curfew is in place from 11 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Irma’s strength may limit emergency police response Monday."