Cobb weather and traffic post-Michael: Several downed trees, some flooding

Wednesday night’s heavy rains, the product of Hurricane Michael, produced around three inches across the county, according to an update sent out by Cobb government late this morning.Cobb County logo, Cobb 2017 elections

Cobb DOT crews were dealing with around a dozen downed trees, including one on Tondee Court in Northeast Cobb, and some flooding on roads that has been cleaned up.

There was a brief tornado warning in Cobb early Wednesday evening, mostly for the southern part of the county. Some estimates had around six inches of rain in the Powder Springs area.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Powder Springs Creek, which was at 11 feet, what’s considered flood stage.

Cobb schools were in session as usual Thursday, after operations and transportation crews made a check of facilities and roads starting around 3 a.m. Schools were closing around the lunch hour and for the rest of the day for a previously scheduled early release for staff development.

Cobb DOT is urging motorists that if they approach a traffic signal that is not working, to treat the intersection as a four-way stop.

Georgia Power is saying that if you see a downed or low-hanging electric wire, don’t touch it. That includes cable TV lines. Instead call 1-888-891-0938 or dial 911 to report downed power lines.

Georgia Power is reporting only a small number of outages in metro Atlanta; most are in areas of south and central Georgia hit hard by hurricane-force winds as Michael moved up from the Florida Panhandle.

Cobb EMC was reporting only a small number of outages this morning.

A good bit of central and south Georgia was under a tropical storm warning and flash flood watch this morning as clean-up has gotten underway. Those warnings have been cancelled.

President Trump this morning declared a state of emergency for Georgia, meaning impacted areas could receive federal aid for clean-up. Gov. Deal declared a state of emergency for 108 counties before the storm hit.

The National Weather Service issued this information this morning:

Do not go sightseeing within impacted communities. Sightseers interfere with the emergency work of first responders.

When clearing out fallen trees, be careful with chainsaws and axes. Always wear protective gear and keep others at a safe distance. Leaning trees and those which have fallen on roofs or power lines can be especially dangerous. If you are not in good health or unsure about what you are doing, have someone with tree cutting experience do the job. Never cut trees without a partner.

The sun came out late this morning in Cobb, and some fall-like temperatures are expected for the rest of the week, with highs in the 70s.

Tonight’s lows could dip into the 40s.

 

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