Savannah Standard

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 6, 2024

CONTACT: 

Office of Communications

Tropical Storm Debby News Release #5

City of Savannah continues response to major storm event

SAVANNAH – The City of Savannah emergency crews continue to respond to impacts from Tropical Storm Debby and will remain in an emergency response posture through Tuesday evening.

City crews are currently addressing significant flooding in the Tremont Park neighborhood. Extreme caution should be used in this area, and drivers are advised to avoid it entirely at this time. Tremont Road at the Musgrove Canal crossing is closed. High water levels are present on Ogeechee Road just east of I-516.

The City urges residents to remain vigilant and be aware of potential impacts this evening, including downed trees, flooded roadways, and downed power lines. If a flooded roadway is encountered, the best option is to turn around and find an alternative route.

Residents can call 311 to report downed trees and flooded roadways, ask questions about City services, or submit a service request. Service requests can also be submitted online. Residents are urged to download the SAV311 app for quick service request submission.

If a downed power line is encountered, it should not be approached; residents should call 911 to report it and alert Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.

For updates specific to the City of Savannah, residents are encouraged to follow @cityofsavannah on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter or visit savannahga.gov/debby. City employees are encouraged to call into the City’s emergency information hotline for updates at 833-251-6020.

City of Savannah offices remain closed on Tuesday. A decision on all City operations for Wednesday will be announced Tuesday evening.

On Monday, City rain gauges recorded 8.0 inches of rain Downtown, 8.5 inches at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and 8.2 inches on the south side of the city. All drainage canals are full but none have crested.

Three City wells lost power but generators supplemented power to keep them running. Full power was restored at 7 a.m. this morning. Sewer lift stations reported 25 high levels with five power outages, five motor failures and three calls from residents regarding sewer backup. All issues have been addressed.

On Sunday and Monday, the City distributed 150 tons of sand to the public.

The City’s Park and Tree Department responded to one call overnight: a tree was down across Roger Warlick Road and was cleared at 8 p.m.. A majority of calls received were related to downed limbs; Park and Tree has 23 open service requests they are assessing today.

On Monday, Savannah Fire Department conducted 18 water rescues and responded to 106 calls from 911 while Savannah Police Department responded to 881 calls from 911.City crews responded to one major incident on Dundee Street involving a fallen tree on a home; the family was rescued.

A total of 71 people were served in various City and partner shelters coordinated with the American Red Cross: two people housed at Enmarket Arena while Tompkins Regional Center housed 45 people overnight.

Staff with the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH) provided transportation for 116 people to shelter partners.

Street flooding remains widespread throughout the city; multiple street closures are occurring so extreme caution should be used if driving through the city. For the latest map of flood-prone areas and current road closures in the city visit savannahga.gov/floodalerts.

Residents are reminded that when a traffic signal is out, intersections should be treated as four-way stops.

As of 9:15 a.m., Transportation services are working on several locations:

MLK closed North of Bay St at Indian due low hanging cable; Ga Power onsite

Anderson at Bee signal out; stop signs in place

Ogeechee at Mills B Lane closed due flooding

Ogeechee at W42nd not passable

Victory from Hopkins flooded but passable

37th at Jefferson flooded

Northbound Truman Parkway near Whitefield without power

Waters Ave northbound right lane near Mall Blvd blocked by tree

White Bluff Rd signals out near Food Lion store & TV Circle intersection

White Bluff Rd Johnston intersection flooded & closed

Mills B Lane Ogeechee intersection flooded

Westbound President St reduced single lane travel

Skidaway Rd between Montgomery Crossroads & Stadium blocked by tree

Paulsen St between Park Ave & Gwinnett St cleared after stalled car incident

Louisville Rd westbound travel lane blocked by tree near Blunt Ave

Chatham County remains under Flood Warning,Tropical Storm Warning,Flood Watch,and Storm Surge Warning.Forecast predicts rainfall between six-nine inches coinciding high tide scheduled late night with possible storm surge reaching up four feet along with tropical force winds.Potential risks cave-ins sinkholes heightened further precautions necessary.

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