Idalia damage live updates in Savannah, Ga. area: Some trees, power lines downed during storm

Tropical Storm Idalia, which made landfall in Florida as a category 4 hurricane, marched through southeastern Georgia on Wednesday, causing heavy damage in areas like Valdosta and pockets of damage in the Savannah area.

Prior to the storm, several coastal cities declared local states of emergency. Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, which expires 11:59 p.m. on Friday.

The Savannah Morning News team is tracking local damage in the area and the most recent information will be added to this live story. Check below for the latest.

Previous storms: Looks like Savannah's reputation as Dodge City is waning. Here's a history of the city's storms

Photos: Savannah left with downed tress and power outages as Hurricane Idalia moved through GA

Fewer than 5,000 without power in Savannah area

As of 9:30 p.m. Thursday, fewer than 5,000 Georgia Power customers in the Savannah remained without power. This is down from the nearly 17,000 who were without power as of Thursday morning.

Crews from Mississippi and Alabama were brought in to assistance with power restoration.

More: Savannah resident says minimal storm damage, cleanup on Wilmington Island is 'lucky'

Trees topple in Savannah during Tropical Storm Idalia

The City of Savannah's Park and Tree Department was hard at work Thursday addressing the fallen limbs and trees. Gordon Denney, Park & Tree Department director, said Thursday morning the department had 63 emergency response tree tickets — requests for service — 30 of which were trees that had completely fallen.

Read more about the tree clean up HERE.

Emergency management assessment gives numbers for storm damage

Savannah's emergency management department said they were aware of the following storm damage:

• 75 downed trees

• 25 traffic lights not working

• 8 power lines down

• 2 blown transformers

More than 1,000 police calls were made during the storm, according to officials.

Georgia Southern to resume normal operations

Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, which saw flooding in several areas, released the following statement at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

"All of Georgia Southern University’s campuses will return to normal operations today (Aug. 31) at noon. Classes will remain online for the remainder of the week.

The University experienced very minor issues – limited to some limbs and a few trees that fell,  and scattered power outages, all of which have been restored.For more information and updates, visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/alert."

Port Wentworth traffic light down, info on debris pickup

The City of Port Wentworth officials reported that the traffic light at Highway 25 and Crossgate Road is down this morning in a post to their Facebook. The left turn light on Old Richmond Road for Southbound 21 is also damaged, and residents should proceed with cation.

The city is also requesting that residents put any debris six inches or smaller and two feet or shorter out by the curb for pickup. Anything bigger should be handled by a tree service.

City of Savannah operations, storm debris pickup update | 9:45 a.m.

City of Savannah officials shared that the city will return to full operations on Friday.

The city also said sanitation collection services would resume today (Thursday Aug. 31) on a modified schedule. “Wednesday’s collection routes began today with subsequent collections resuming on Friday," according to the release.

Vegetative debris should be set out according to normal yard waste guidelines. Officials noted that, large debris piles may require special equipment to remove them.

“Additional guidelines on debris collection will be shared in the coming days. Stormwater and Park and Tree crews are addressing all stormwater or tree-related issues today and this weekend,” according to the release.

City officials said that anyone approaching a non-functioning stoplight should treat it as if it were a four-way stop.

No damage visible at Savannah area schools

There was no reported or visible damage at Savannah area schools as of Thursday at 9:45 a.m.

The Savannah Morning News drove by the following campuses and no damage was seen:

• GSU Armstrong Campus

• Savannah Country Day Windsor Forest Elementary

• Heard Elementary

• Isle of Hope Elementary

• STEM Academy at Bartlett

If any damage to school property is reported, we will update this blog to reflect the most recent information.

Minimal damage to Tybee Island

Damage in Tybee Island appears to be minimal, with a few downed trees, damaged fences and minor structure damage to homes. Power outages were minimal as well, according to a morning update from the city. The street sweeper will be out Thursday cleaning organic debris in the streets.

Roads flooded by Idalia in Statesboro

Heavy rains from Hurricane Idalia flooded roads in Statesboro and Bulloch County. Take a look at the photos below.

Power outages in Savannah, coastal Georgia

Nearly 17,000 Georgia Power customers are without power in the Savannah area, accord to the Georgia Power Outage Map.

Approximately 11,000 customers in the Waycross area and another 9,000 in the Brunswick area are also without power.

The estimated restoration time for many customers is unknown as crews are still assessing damage.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Idalia Savannah impact: A look at hurricane, storm damage in Georgia