Irma recovery ‘will be slower,’ Ga. governor says; state watching price gouging

The massive size of Irma means all of Georgia felt the effects of the tropical storm.

“Recovery will be slower,” Gov. Nathan Deal warned in a briefing from his office Tuesday.

The Georgia National Guard activated and dispatched 3,000 troops for recovery efforts in Georgia, and 600 others are headed to Florida.

Dr. J. Patrick O’Neal, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, said sheltering evacuees is an “ongoing response.”

Public health workers staffed 41 Red Cross shelters, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources opened 30 other sites in state parks, and 47 “Good Samaritan” shelters were opened by other organizations as coastal Georgians evacuated and the state hosted thousands of people fleeing Florida.

Evacuees are anxious to return home, but Deal waited to lift Georgia’s mandatory evacuation orders till after local governments determine it is safe to return.

Deal said Georgia was “pleased to be a good neighbor,” but he urged Floridians to “be patient.”

Flooded gas stations in south Georgia and triple the amount of traffic on Interstate 75 means fuel is in short supply.

GEMA Director Homer Bryson warned that access to fuel will not be guaranteed for those traveling in the southern part of the state.

“Fuel will be the issue,” he said.

For most Georgia residents, power outages will be the lingering problem.

“Numerous days” are needed for crews to replace broken poles and to string lines, Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers said.

Dennis Chastain, CEO for Georgia EMCs, said all of the state’s 41 Electric Membership Corporations are working hard to restore service after 537,000 members lost electricity, but only a fraction still don’t have power.

All of Georgia’s interstates are passable, Georgia Department of Transportation’s commissioner Russell McMurry said, but the Talmadge and Sidney Lanier bridges remain closed for inspections after the powerful storm that brought near hurricane force winds to Savannah.

Hundreds of traffic lights are down or flashing, and drivers should treat those intersections as four-way stops, with traffic moving in order of arrival.

While power disruption is behind most of the traffic light outages, in some cases the signal heads have been destroyed by wind and will need to be replaced.

Parts of the Georgia coast received nearly a foot of rain, and serious flooding issues linger in Glynn, Camden and Chatham counties.

With Deal’s statewide emergency declaration, authorities will be watching for price gouging on behalf of contractors.

Georgia already is investigating 150 reports of price gouging for storm-related goods and services.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Irma recovery ‘will be slower,’ Ga. governor says; state watching price gouging."