The City of Thomasville has storm plans in place for Tropical Storm Idalia and encourages the community to do the same. Idalia is expected to become a hurricane later today, bringing strong winds and rain that will affect our area late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. Forecasts indicate Idalia will develop into a Category 3 hurricane once it makes landfall.
According to Assistant City Manager Chris White, City staff are in storm prep mode, and officials are actively monitoring the situation and preparing for adverse weather conditions. Weather briefings began Friday with Thomas County’s Emergency Management Agency. “We have been reviewing our storm recovery plans in preparation for severe weather in our area, and our crews are ready to respond,” stated White.
City of Thomasville preparations include:
- Coordinating with Thomas County EMA and GEMA in regard to storm information
- Securing mutual aid agreements with other utility providers, with 10 potential crews from other Georgia cities already scheduled to assist in the Thomasville area
- Ensuring adequate personnel are on standby, and additional personnel are assigned to key city facilities - the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Fire Rescue, Electric Operations, and Public Works - to respond quickly to storm damage
- Cleaning out catch basins, road culverts, and storm pipes of leaves, debris and anything that could clog inlets or culverts to ensure water flows properly throughout the city stormwater system
- Ensuring all necessary small equipment, generators, and vehicles are inspected and fueled and that an adequate fuel supply is on hand
- Verifying inventory of materials and supplies needed for restoration efforts
- Fully charging all handheld radios, cell phones, and other electronic devices and ensuring all internal and external communications protocols are in place
Residents are urged to finish preparations no later than Tuesday afternoon and adhere to all posted warnings as the storm moves into our area. Preparations should include:
- Assess your property and be sure yard furniture, trash bins, yard toys and equipment are secured or put away
- Be sure there is no debris on your property that can float or be blown away, as these things can block the storm drains and prevent the flow of water through our community
- Obtain a working NOAA Weather Radio
- Monitor weather situations and be alert to changing conditions
“It’s also important that our utility customers understand how to report an outage,” said White. “The best way to report a loss of electric service is by calling 229-227-5499. We ask our customers to refrain from reporting their outage to us through social media, as we may not be able to respond to messages in a timely manner.”
In the event of an outage, electric crews will work to bring customers back online as quickly as possible. “Strong winds exceeding 39 mph are not safe for our crews to be working on utility poles,” noted White. “Our crews will respond as quickly as possible, but their safety is our highest priority.”
City of Thomasville Utilities customers can also opt in now to Tville TextAlert, a free service that allows customers to report electric outages and receive updates on outages through text messages. To sign up for Tville TextAlert, customers should call Customer Care at 229-227-7001 or visit Thomasville.org/report-a-utility-outage.
According to White, residents on City water don’t need to stock up on bottled water and are encouraged to save those supplies for residents that depend on deep wells for water supply. The City of Thomasville’s water system is designed to operate during and after severe weather conditions.
The City of Thomasville will monitor Idalia’s track and post updates as appropriate to Facebook. Updates will also be posted on the City’s website, Thomasville.org. Citizens should continue to monitor the latest forecast and local emergency management information through the following websites: