{"id":876198,"date":"2026-10-09T10:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T10:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/876198\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T10:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T10:34:19","slug":"gov-kemp-declares-state-of-emergency-everything-you-need-to-know-for-hurricane-isaisais","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/876198\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Kemp declares State of Emergency: everything you need to know for Hurricane Isaisais"},"content":{"rendered":"

(WGXA) \u2014 The first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season is here: Hurricane Isaias has prompted Governor Brian Kemp to declare a State of Emergency for all of Georgia, with officials urging residents to prepare immediately for heavy rainfall, flooding, and potential tornadoes this weekend.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Governor Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency for all of Georgia ahead of Isaias.<\/p>\n

\"HURRICANE<\/p>\n

“As we always do with weather events, we\u2019re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “I encourage all Georgians to take this storm seriously and prepare now by stocking up on food, batteries, flashlights, water, and other necessities in case of severe weather impacting communities Friday night through Saturday.”<\/p>\n

It became a hurricane late Wednesday night, heading into Thursday.<\/p>\n

Its current path has it heading for the central Gulf coast and to make landfall late Friday evening as a category two hurricane.<\/p>\n

\"PATH<\/p>\n

What does this mean for Middle Georgia? First, we have some tropical storm watches in effect for some of our western counties. These include Upson, Taylor, Macon, Schley and Sumter counties.<\/p>\n

\"TROPICAL<\/p>\n

This means that these areas could experience tropical storm conditions within the next 48 hours. These may include gusty winds up to 40 mph, periods of heavy rainfall and a brief spin-up tornado.<\/p>\n

However, all of Middle Georgia is going to be included in a risk for severe weather on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\"SEVERE<\/p>\n

SEVERE STORM RISK SATURDAY<\/p>\n

West of I-75 has the higher, slight risk, whereas east of I-75 has the lower, marginal risk.<\/p>\n

\"TROPICAL<\/p>\n

The risk for tornadoes is a little elevated west of I-75 due to this portion of the mid-state being closer to the eastern side of this tropical system. The storm moving over land will provide a lot of spin in the atmosphere, which is needed for tornadoes. These are typically short-lived and weak tornadoes. According to the National Weather Service, a long-tracked tornado cannot be ruled out.<\/p>\n

Winds will also be higher as well. Expect wind speeds of 15-20 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph.<\/p>\n

There will also be periods of heavy rain, so flooding is of concern as well.<\/p>\n

\"TROPICAL<\/p>\n

East of I-75 seems to be a little less impacted by Isaias, but all threats still apply to these areas.<\/p>\n

\"FLOOD<\/p>\n

There is also a Flood Watch in effect for everyone across Middle Georgia until Sunday morning. Due to the risk of heavy rainfall, there could be flooding across the mid-state in areas that are low-lying and areas with poor drainage. Rivers may also rise up.<\/p>\n

\"POTENTIAL<\/p>\n

POTENTIAL RAINFALL TOTALS OVER NEXT 5 DAYS<\/p>\n

In terms of rainfall totals, the western side of the mid-state could pick up around three inches of rain. On the eastern side, they could pick up one to two inches of rain.<\/p>\n

Overall, Isaias will not make a direct hit on Middle Georgia but will still bring some impacts our way this weekend.<\/p>\n

If flooding occurs, GEMA\/HS says to stay out of standing water and never drive or walk through it; do not bypass road barricades and avoid downed power lines to protect yourself from electrocution or electrical shocks.<\/p>\n

If a tornado warning is in effect, taking shelter in a basement or storm cellar offers your best protection. When an underground area is unavailable, move immediately to the lowest level of the building and stay in a small, windowless interior room or central hallway.<\/p>\n

Also, be sure to stock up on food, batteries, and any necessities ahead of the stormy weekend.<\/p>\n

“As we closely monitor this system, ensuring the safety of all Georgians is our top priority,\u201d said GEMA\/HS Director Josh Lamb. \u201cThat’s why GEMA\/HS is working around the clock in coordination with local, state, and federal partners to ensure that we are fully prepared for any potential impacts. All parts of the state could see impacts from this storm, and we have the resources ready to assist them if that is the case.”<\/p>\n

Make sure to have a way to receive alerts and stay weather-aware.<\/p>\n

Stick with WGXA as we keep you ready for what’s next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(WGXA) \u2014 The first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season is here: Hurricane Isaias has prompted Governor Brian…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":876199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-876198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=876198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/876198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/876199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=876198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=876198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=876198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}