URGENT INFORMATION REGARDING THE APPROACH OF HURRICANE MICHAEL

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The City of Thomasville would like to inform our community of some final information that is important as we complete our preparations for Hurricane Michael’s arrival into the Thomasville area:

  • Please monitor this storm and heed all warnings and watches. If you feel unsafe, please consider leaving your home and seeking shelter now prior to the storm’s arrival. Thomas County Emergency Management has announced shelter locations at First Baptist Church in Thomasville (opening at 4 pm today) and Silver Hills Church in Coolidge. Other shelters are anticipated to open at First Presbyterian Church and New Covenant Church, both in Thomasville.
  • Area citizens that remain in our community during the storm should understand that for the safety of our utility and public safety personnel, response vehicles will be pulled when winds reach 40-45 mph. This means that police and fire agencies will be unable to respond to emergency calls for assistance. Likewise, public works and utility crews will not be operational during sustained periods of high winds. Take steps now to protect yourself and your family from the impending dangerous weather conditions.
  • Please check on your neighbors and the elderly to be sure they are also prepared for the storm.
  • Utility outages are anticipated to be widespread and of a long duration, upwards of one week. Please be prepared with adequate food, water, medications, batteries and other items you and your family may need. You should be prepared for outages to last for several weeks in outlying areas.
  • If you or someone in your home have a medical condition that requires you to have uninterrupted electrical power, please understand that the City of Thomasville may not be able to respond to your particular outage. We therefore recommend that you seek alternative shelter that will provide you the uninterrupted power necessary for your condition.
  • If you are a City of Thomasville Water customer, your water service will continue to operate without electricity. If you obtain your water from a well, please prepare for an adequate water supply for you and your family.
  • Use extreme caution if you encounter downed utility poles or electrical wires. Assume every wire is a live wire and do not approach or handle. Wires, poles and trees may remain downed for some time after the storm passes, as we expect the impact to be significant and response time will be affected.
  • Use safety precautions when using generators, candles, or lanterns with a flame during outages. Generator users must be sure they have disconnected the main breaker, as this can be dangerous for utility linemen.
  • Report all power outages, including those involving CNS services, to our Outage Reporting Line – 227-5499. Please do not report outages through our website or social media. You may also utilize Tville TextAlert, the City’s free text-based outage reporting system if you have already registered your cell phone number with your utility account. Please note that during widespread outages, the auto attendant will be used to manage the high volume of calls that are anticipated due to the storm.
  • Consider registering for Thomas County’s reverse 911 service for your cell phone number and/or email address. You can do so on their website, ThomasCounty911.onthealert.com.
  • After the storm, when it is safe to drive, please treat all intersections with non-working traffic signals as a four-way stop.

“We’ve been advised by the National Weather Service that this storm is unlike what we’ve experienced in our area,” said Sheryl Sealy, Director of Marketing and Communications. “This is the final opportunity for our community to make sure they are adequately prepared for Hurricane Michael.”

City of Thomasville administrative offices are now closed and will remain closed through Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Services will resume as soon as possible. “We will provide updates to our website, Thomasville.org, and to our Facebook site as necessary,” said Sealy.

Citizens should also continue to monitor the latest forecast and local emergency management information through the following websites:


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