As of 1:30 today, Beaufort County's school campuses have been cleared to resume normal operations. The district will remain in an eLearning status for the rest of today and we look forward welcoming our students back into our buildings tomorrow, Tuesday (10/1).
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Following the impacts of Hurricane Helene, the City of Savannah will reopen administrative offices and facilities Tuesday, Oct. 1 operating on normal hours.
Some City facilities have not yet had power restored. Operations at those facilities will be determined on a case-by-case basis by leadership.
For updates specific to the City of Savannah, residents are encouraged to follow @cityofsavannah on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and visit //savannahga.gov/stormhelene.
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Chatham County’s critical workforce continued operating on 12 hour shifts on Monday as recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene continued. Volunteers with Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia and the Salvation Army delivered 2,240 hot meals and 960 non-perishable food boxes to residents across Chatham County Monday. Ice distribution continued at Memorial Stadium and at L. Scott Stell Park.
Since Tuesday, Chatham Emergency Management Agency has coordinated with community partners to open four new Cooling Centers across Chatham County. These relief sites allow residents without electricity to cool off and charge their devices.
Active Cooling Center locations include:
- Garden City United Methodist Church - 62 Varnadoe Ave, Garden City - 12PM - 5PM
- The Empower Center - 4704 Augusta Ave, Garden City - 9AM - 7PM
- Compassion Christian Church - 50 Al Henderson Blvd, Savannah - 12PM - 5PM
- Tompkins Regional Center - 2333 Ogeechee Rd, Savannah - 11AM - 6PM
- Mighty 8th Air Museum - 175 Bourne Ave, Savannah - 12PM - 4PM
- Life Bridge Ministry - 8511 Waters Ave, Savannah - 4PM - 7PM
- Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship - 425 W. Montgomery Cross Rd, Savannah - 4PM - 6PM
- Thunderbolt Fire - 2702 Mechanics Ave, Thunderbolt - 2PM - 5PM
- Tybee Island YMCA - 204 Fifth St, Tybee Island - 10AM - 7PM
- First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church - 310 Alice Street, Savannah - 1PM - 4PM
- Savannah Tech - Eckberg Auditorium - 5717 White Bluff Rd, Savannah - 10 AM - 4PM
Some traffic signals are still out of service, and drivers are reminded to treat broken traffic lights as all-way stops until they are restored. A live map of updated signals, built by Chatham County’s Engineering Department, is available online: https://cema.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=07eea46b589e47ce971cbbfe253d2342
Many roads remain closed. To view up-to-date road closures, visit waze.com/live-map/.
The County's Public Works Department is actively clearing roadways of trees and debris. We encourage residents to place debris at the edge of the roadway, ensuring it's clear of mailboxes, fire hydrants, meter readers, and other obstacles to help crews work efficiently
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All clinics and offices in the Coastal Health District will remain closed on Tuesday, October 1 due to ongoing issues with utility restoration across our communities. This includes all health departments and district offices in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties. Anyone with an appointment previously scheduled during the closure will be contacted to reschedule.
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Due to the high volume of food spoilage from prolonged wide-spread power outages, the City’s Sanitation Department have suspended all recycling services until further notice starting on Monday, Sept. 30. Recycling carts can be used for garbage overflow and left with garbage carts curbside at the normal point-of-collection to be picked up on collection routes this week.
Residential refuse collection will proceed as normal. Residents are encouraged to hold recyclables until regular collections resume or use single stream drop-off facilities.
The City has secured a contractor for debris removal operations which will begin this week. Due to the large volume of debris, removal operations are expected to continue for several weeks until completed.
Residents should place containerized (bagged) storm debris at the regular point-of-collection without blocking the roadway or storm drains. Large limbs should be placed separately off the street. Limit yard waste materials to containerized items, bags or refuse carts. Larger vegetative debris will be collected separately.
Residents are asked to not place debris near trees, poles, or other structures that may hinder removal. All storm debris must be separated by type: household garbage, containerized yard waste, larger vegetative debris, bulk items, etc.
Collection of large vegetative debris will begin later this week and continue until completed. Debris removal operations will complete a first pass city-wide before further operations continue.
All household garbage/trash should be containerized within City issued residential refuse carts. Residents who wish to dispose of debris themselves may bring it to the convenience stations at Dean Forest Road Landfill or Bacon Park Convenience Center which are operating on the regular schedule.
Facilities Open as Comfort/Charging Centers
The City will open the Tompkins Regional Center (2333 Ogeechee Rd.) and the Grant Center Gymnasium (123 West St.) on Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a temporary comfort/charging center for residents. More centers are expected to open on Monday.
The Daffin Park Pool will also be open from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. City staff is working to have all splashpads operational by noon on Monday with the exception of the Forsyth Park splashpad. City splashpads will also be operational on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
City splashpads to open: Hudson Hill (2227 Hudson St.); Hull Park (55th and Atlantic Ave.); Crusader Park (81 Coffee Bluff Villa Rd.); Forrest Hills (Skidaway and Berkshire Rd.); Avondale Park (Texas and Ohio Ave.); Victory Heights Park (E 42nd St and Taskin Ave.); Savannah Gardens (516 Pennsylvania Ave.)
Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) will open the following locations as charging/cooling centers on Sunday: The Empowerment Center (4704 Augusta Road) 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Compassion Christian Church (50 Al Henderson Blvd.) 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Mighty 8th Air Museum (175 Bourne Ave.) 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.; Life Bridge Ministry (8511 Waters Ave.) 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.; Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship (425 W. Montgomery Cross Rd.) 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Thunderbolt Fire (2702 Mechanics Ave.) 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Tybee Island YMCA (204 Fifth St.) 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Traffic Signals Update
Monday morning assessments noted an estimated 80 roads remain impacted in the City due to downed trees and power lines. While some traffic signals have been restored, 53 of the 280 City-operated traffic signals are still without power. The City is working with Georgia Power to restore power to the signal cabinets at the remaining intersections. That number does not include County or GDOT operated signals.
Drivers are reminded that all non-operating stoplights should be treated as an all-way stop. When driving, residents are encouraged to exercise extreme caution, be patient, and stay alert.
Service requests can still be submitted to 311 online at //savannahga.gov/311request or via the SAV311 mobile app.
Gas Availability Tracker
With many individuals in our community seeking gasoline availability, one resource individuals can refer to is tracker.gasbuddy.com
Debris Cleanup Assistance
Residents looking for cleanup assistance can call 1-844-965-1386 or register at www.crisiscleanup.org.
City Water/Sewer Operations Normal
As a reminder, if you receive a water bill from the City of Savannah or your property is located within the City limits and your landlord receives a City water bill then you are not subject to boil water advisory at this time. The City will notify customers if a change in the status occurs.
The boil water advisory issued on Monday only applies to the specific water systems managed by Water Utility Management. For updates and impact information, find Water Utility Management on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/@WaterUtilityMgt
The City’s Water Resources Department reports no major issues with the City’s drinking water supply system. The sewage system continues to operate under a mix of generator power and grid power. No major issues have been reported.