Governor, county commission declare state of emergency

Sep. 27—Glynn County Commissioners declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon in response to Hurricane Ian.

"It is in conjunction with (Gov. Brian Kemp's) announcement of a state of emergency," said commission Chairman Wayne Neal.

The Brunswick City Commission will hold an emergency meeting at 5 p.m. today in Old City Hall, 1229 Newcastle St. in Brunswick, for the same purpose — to consider declaring a local emergency.

"It's very similar to what we've done in prior years," said County Attorney Aaron Mumford. "It declares a state of emergency in Glynn County, it follows on what the governor did, and it implements emergency powers under the county's ordinances."

For the duration of the emergency, the chairman can make decisions without convening the full board, including calling an evacuation and a curfew, suspending some ordinances and policies on purchasing and allowing the county to buy certain equipment, goods and services without going through the normal purchasing process.

There are currently no plans to call for an evacuation or curfew as of 4 p.m., Mumford said.

Heavy winds and strong rain are still forecast for Wednesday night through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, with the Golden Isles seeing tropical storm conditions possibly late Wednesday or Thursday. Glynn and Camden counties are under tropical storm warnings and storm surge watches, and the National Hurricane Center predicts "considerable" flooding in Southeast Georgia.

Glynn County Schools will remain open Wednesday and will host after-school programs, extracurricular activities and athletic events. All buses will run according to regular schedules.

School will be canceled and all offices closed Thursday and Friday along with all after-school and athletic programs.

"We will continue to closely monitor the storm's projected path and any potential effects here locally, and communicate updates through One Call, our district website, our Facebook page and our media partners," the school district posted. "As always, please keep a watchful eye on weather-related updates from the Glynn County Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service in Jacksonville."

Frederica Academy will cancel classes Thursday and Friday. A homecoming dance and SAT exam planned for Saturday will be postponed.

College of Coastal Georgia will shift all classes online Wednesday through Friday. Residence halls will remain open, and dining services will be provided on a modified schedule.

Student Life activities, athletic events and practices are canceled, including the annual MarinerFest and Destination: Coastal events. Those have been postponed to Nov. 12.

At the Southeast Georgia Health System, all prostate screenings scheduled for Thursday are postponed to Oct. 13.

"Those who have confirmed appointments for Sept. 29 can attend at the same scheduled time on Oct. 13. If a different appointment time is desired, please call 1-855-ASK-SGHS (1-855-275-7447)," a press release from the SGHS states.

The Marshes of Glynn Libraries will close at 4 p.m. Thursday and remain closed Friday and Saturday. All programs will be canceled at the Brunswick and St. Simons Island libraries during this time.

Fines will be forgiven during the closure. Patrons are asked not to return any library materials to either facility until the libraries reopen. The libraries anticipate to reopen on Monday.

The state Environmental Protection Division's question and answer session, public hearing and presentation on the Hercules site cleanup planned for Thursday has been canceled.

The Golden Isles Alzheimer's Walk and CoastFest, both scheduled for Saturday, have also been canceled.

Gov. Brian Kemp issued a State of Emergency order Tuesday for all counties in Georgia in preparation for Ian's impact. The emergency order will go into effect at 7 a.m. Thursday and expire at midnight on Oct. 28.

"Damaging winds will be possible statewide, even well away from the center of the storm, and downed trees and power lines are possible statewide on Friday and Saturday," the statement reads. "Widespread rainfall of two to four inches is also possible statewide, with four to six inches or more forecast in Southeast Georgia. Flash flooding, power outages and other dangerous situations are possible, especially in Southeast Georgia."