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Are you wet yet?

Forecast: Heavy rains to last through morning, taper off in afternoon

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

As Hurricane Ivan made its way through Alabama Thursday morning, wreaking destruction with high winds and rain, it was difficult to gauge what impact the storm would have on the metro Atlanta area, emergency officials said.

Both Coweta and Fayette counties are under a flood watch at least until this morning, along with many other Georgia counties in Ivan’s path.

School officials did not hesitate when it came tome to cancel classes.

All Coweta County Schools were closed yesterday due to anticipation of severe weather conditions from Hurricane Ivan.

As of press time, no decision had been made regarding school openings for today.

Superintendent Blake Bass declared the closure at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday following consultations with local emergency management and other officials.

Many West Georgia and Atlanta regional school systems also announced school closures Thursday.

Coweta county parents and employees should consult local and regional media for advisories of school closure today.

The general expectation was that the area could get up to six inches of rain once all is said and done, with the likelihood that most of that rain will come today, said Capt. Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

Even if Ivan barely nicks Coweta and Fayette, danger still lurks because of the possibility of tornados, which often form on the edge of hurricane storm systems, Nelms said. About four or five tornados touched down overnight in the extreme southwest corner of Georgia, he noted.

“They can do an extreme amount of damage,” Nelms said.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City was predicting rains to begin Thursday afternoon with winds between 20-30 mph and gusting up to 50 mph at times, said Gerald Birdow, weather service specialist.

Today, the rain was expected to be heaviest in the morning, tapering off in the afternoon and evening as Ivan keeps moving, Birdow added.

The situation is being monitored very closely by local officials, Nelms said.

Nelms said emergency officials had consulted with the school system Wednesday before the decision was made to close schools Thursday so students wouldn’t have to be sent home in rough conditions.

“You’re taking nearly 30,000 people and trying to get them to basically 28 different destinations at one time,” Nelms said.

Nelms noted that the fire department has a good working relationship with the school system.

“They are an important partner for us and we work together very well,” Nelms said.