Today, Mayor Shirley Franklin, flanked by top city officials, held a briefing on the City’s response to the emergency inclement weather conditions. The Mayor urged residents to be patient and cautious during inclement weather conditions. Departments reported on their actions to protect life and safety over the weekend, and their projected actions for the remaining storm period.
Malfunctioning traffic signals continue to be a challenge; currently 36 intersections are reported as operating with flashing lights or no lights. Public Works Commissioner David Scott says, “in some instances, the city must wait on power to be restored at the intersections; in other cases, the signal control-timing computer may need to be reset.” Scott adds, “we have seven crews working diligently to restore all traffic signals to operational state as quickly as possible.” To report a malfunctioning traffic light, please call 404-330-6589.
Mayor Franklin adds, “we ask those out and about driving, to drive safely.” According to State of Georgia code, it is important to treat intersections with malfunctioning lights as four way stop signs. The code states in part, “When two vehicles approach or enter an intersection with an inoperative traffic light, the driver of each vehicle shall be required to stop in the same manner as if a stop sign were facing in each direction at the intersection. When a flashing indication is given, the driver shall stop for the flashing red signal and exhibit caution while passing through a flashing yellow intersection.”
Mayor Franklin reiterated the City of Atlanta continues to provide twenty-four hour coverage by its various operational departments to ensure safety of residents and visitors during the current inclement weather.
Operational Department Status Report (as of 2:00 pm)
ATLANTA FIRE DEPARTMENT
Since midnight the Fire Department has responded to over 200 calls.
59 of the calls were to report trees down.
A total of four additional response units have been placed around the north and south end of the City.
ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT
A number of weather-related car accidents have been reported.
Please exercise caution in driving under inclement conditions.
Officers are in the field providing direct patrol on the streets where traffic signals are out and in areas where there is no power.
For all emergencies except non-functioning traffic signals, call 911.
AVIATION DEPARTMENT
On Monday, there were 1 hour, 45 minute delays on all flights because of high winds (35 mph).
Today, flights are currently delayed 54 minutes in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson.
While some travel to Florida has been restored, planes still cannot fly into the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida airport.
TSA has all of the security lanes open now.
The Tech Campus and South Cargo areas are without electricity and Georgia Power is working on that now; no estimated time for restoring power.
Flights should be back to normal this evening, with the possible exception of some Florida flights.
However, check with your airline before going to the airport, as conditions are constantly changing.
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS (DPRCA)
Approximately, 74 trees were reported down to the DPRCA. DPRCA will clear all trees in the public-right-of-way.
By this afternoon, 20 of those trees have been cleared away.
The Department will continue to work with Georgia Power and other agencies to clear away fallen trees in the street.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (DPW)
Over the weekend DPW had:
· 12 people working extra shifts to help DPRCA with storm cleanup
· 12 equipment crews (loaders, trucks, crew trucks and chainsaws) worked September 6 from 7 pm – 11 am
In addition to the seven crews restoring traffic lights, DPW will have:
· Two five man crews responsible for assisting DPRCA with the removal of downed trees from public Right of Way
· Two crews cleaning inlets for flood conditions
· Staff will assist with manning the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Center, in three shifts, 7 pm – 11 am, 11 – 8 pm and 8 pm – 8 am
The schedule for regular trash and bulk collections is unchanged; they remain on the holiday pick-up schedule
Extra searches for storm debris will be conducted
DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT (DWM)
Watershed Management had crews in the field yesterday at all the city's "hot spots," especially Vine City and Midtown. Those crews cleaned catch basins where necessary and monitored flood-prone areas for signs of distress. A DWM crew was in Vine City virtually all night. Today, crews are in Midtown, Washington Heights and in Vine City. Watershed Management has doubled the size of their monitoring force (6). There are no spills.
There was a small failure at the Northside Pumping Station, but the backup generator kicked on immediately, and problems were averted. That generator failed as well, but crews were able to fix it before it became a problem.
The Atlanta Fulton County Emergency Operation Center (AFEMA)
The Atlanta Fulton County Emergency Management Agency’s emergency operations center has been on-call since 4 a.m.
Over the next 24-hour period, 1-2 inches of rain is expected
A combination of saturated grounds around Atlanta and possible heavy rains may cause additional trees to fall.
Residents should stay vigilant and prepared to move to a place of safety should your area be put in harms way by falling trees.
Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services (OCS)
OCS will continue to operate to serve as teammates to all the operating departments, working with Atlanta residents in need. The OCS team is a part of the AFEMA center, and is available on call.
Mayor’s Office
The Mayor’s Office is coordinating the efforts of all of the City departments and the AFEMA to ensure all lines of communication between all parties are clear and open.