ATLANTA — Hurricane Debby, now a tropical storm moving through Georgia, played a major role in nearly 200 flight cancellations and almost 600 delays at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
But while many tried to escape the storm, others are riding it out along the Georgia coastline.
Former Atlanta resident Mitzi Millicent Cross spoke to Channel 2′s Tom Regan over a video phone call from her backyard in Brunswick.
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“You can hear the gusts, you can see the gusts, the trees are rocking back and forth. It’s unusually intense,” said Millicent Cross.
She said she is worried about the lake in her backyard flooding but is not ready to leave her home.
“It’s scary but we are prepared,” said Millicent Cross.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is all hands on deck at their command center in Atlanta.
They have dispatched crews near the storm zone. Their primary concern is life-threatening flooding that could leave people stranded in homes, cars, and other structures.
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“We got search and rescue teams that are able to get into those areas. We have been on the phone with the Coast Guard, they have quite a few helis there with hoist capabilities. They are experts in rescue missions from the air,” said GEMA Director Chris
GEMA nor state officials have ordered coastal residents to evacuate, although some have chosen to head inland.
“We went over the beachside earlier with some friends and it was very windy over, much more so than the riverside,” said Jekyll Island resident Marth Eckert.
Georgia Power says it is staging utility crews throughout south Georgia to repair utility lines taken down by the storm.
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