Based on expected impacts from Hurricane Debby, the City of Savannah will close all government offices Tuesday, Aug. 6. Essential emergency functions will be open. Government operations and offices will remain open on Monday, Aug. 5.

A decision regarding Wednesday’s operations will be made based on storm impacts. All emergency essential services including public safety, water and sewer, stormwater, park and tree, and traffic engineering will respond at full capacity as weather permits.
The following impacts to City services will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 6:

• All non-emergency essential City government offices will be closed.
• In-person payments at the Coastal Georgia Center for utility, tax, license, and other fees will be closed.
• Street cleaning night services will be suspended.
• The Dean Forest Landfill and Bacon Park Convenience Center will be closed.
• Sanitation routes will shift to a modified schedule on Wednesday.
• The Recorder’s Court will be closed.
• In-person services with the Office of Special Events, Film, and Tourism will be suspended.
• Building closures, including all services within, will include City Hall, Civic Center, Community Centers, Cultural Arts Center, Floyd Adams City Services Complex, Savannah Municipal Services Annex and the Savannah Entrepreneurial Center.

A state of local emergency was declared by Gov. Brian Kemp on Saturday, Aug. 3, providing the City Manager authority to execute emergency management plans and procure necessary resources to prepare for and respond to any impacts brought on by Hurricane Debby. Kemp’s order also prohibits price gouging on items like gasoline.
The greatest impact to Chatham County will be heavy rainfall, with a potential for 10-20 inches of rain and severe flash flooding.
Savannah residents and businesses are urged to review emergency plans and kits ahead of the arrival of inclement weather. Information on preparedness can be found online on the City’s website by clicking here. For questions about City services or to submit a service request, residents can call 311. Service requests can also be submitted online at Savannahga.gov/311request. Updates on road closures due to flooding will be posted at savannahga.gov/floodalert.
For updates specific to the City of Savannah, residents are encouraged to follow @cityofsavannah on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, or visit www.savannahga.gov/debby. City employees are encouraged to call the City’s emergency information hotline for updates at 833-251-6020.
MAYOR, CITY MANAGER AMONG OFFICIALS ON SUNDAY LIVESTREAM
On Sunday night as Savannah prepared for Debby’s imminent arrival, Mayor Van Johnson hosted a livestream on Facebook that lasted for more than 50 minutes and featured Q&A segments with City Manager Jay Melder and Savannah Fire Department Chief Elzie Kitchen, among others.

Johnson and Melder each referred to the storm as a “thousand-year flood event,” and Johnson answered one viewer’s question about limiting the movement of residents on the roads of Savannah by saying he was “considering a curfew” but was awaiting Melder’s approval before doing so.

“See you all in some dryer days,” Johnson said at the end of the stream. Watch the full replay from Sunday night with the Mayor and City Manager above.
UPDATE (11pm, Aug. 4)
The National Weather Service elevated Debby to a Category 1 Hurricane with sustained wind speeds of up to 75 mph and at a location approximately 100 miles WNW of Tampa, Florida.

This article appears in Connect Savannah I July 2024.