State government offices will remain closed Thursday across the 83 counties under a state of emergency, Gov. Nathan Deal announced.
“Our top priority is to ensure the safety of Georgians and to allow the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to continue doing its job,” said Deal.
“Due to yesterday’s winter weather and continued freezing temperatures, ice continues accumulating on our roadways. GDOT is responsible for the maintenance of more than 17,900 miles of state roads and interstates. Currently, there are more than 12,800 miles remaining to be cleared and treated. In light of this, I urge people to stay home, stay safe and remain off our roadways. We will continue monitoring the weather and will provide updates as necessary.”
STATE OF EMERGENCY
Deal issued the state of emergency late Tuesday for 83 counties spanning much of central and north Georgia in response from the latest updates from the National Weather Service. The order closed state government agencies for all non-essential personnel on Wednesday and included the following counties:
Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Glascock, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Haralson, Harris, Hart, Heard, Henry, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, Marion, McDuffie, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Rabun, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Stephens, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Towns, Troup, Union, Upson, Walker, Walton, Warren, Washington, White, Whitfield and Wilkes.
Deal said that the Georgia Department of Transportation will continue to treat roads and interstates however he urged the public to remain home and off the roads to allow them to do their jobs.
Read the full declaration and the list of counties below.
