‘We are ready for this storm’: Bryan County holds presser regarding Hurricane Helene

Bryan County , the city of Pembroke and the city of Richmond Hill held a joint press conference Thursday afternoon to provide an update to the communities they represent regarding Hurricane Helene .

The Category 3 storm has already made its presence felt as heavy downpours came in spurts Thursday. The Weather Channel predicts the Savannah area could get 1-2 inches of rain.

Here is what to know.

Bryan County Chairman Carter Infinger opened the press conference by providing details on what services are available for residents.

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A refuge center is available at Timber Trail Gym for residents who have campers or need a safe place to lay their head. Michael Foxworth Gym is available for folks on the north end.

Infinger said staff members from the county will be surveying the area throughout the night but also encouraged residents to take precautionary measures as EMS services may be limited in certain weather conditions.

“EMS is available,” said Carter. "We don’t run if the wind is over 40-45 mph I believe for ambulance and fire trucks. Shelter in place and stay safe and wait until the storm passes in the morning.”

Richmond Hill Mayor Russ Carpenter said, “We are ready for the storm.”

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“We are watching our drainage and our low-lying areas," said Carpenter. "We have equipment staged and ready to go to take out any debris which might impede the drainage."

Much like Richmond Hill, Pembroke Mayor Tiffany Zeigler said city staff will keep a watchful eye on the roads to ensure drainage systems are running smoothly.

“City of Pembroke employees will be out and about all night long,” said Zeigler. “We will be watching our drainage canals and our ditches and roads throughout the night, so we'll be paying attention to that.”

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According to Infinger, various equipment such as dump trucks and backhoes are staged in both ends of the county.

“If a tree falls down, we can cut that down pretty quickly,” said Infinger.

Infinger responded to a question regarding residents who may still feel anxiety from Tropical Storm Debby, saying this will be a “quick moving storm” and encouraged residents to stay safe.

“Every storm is different,” said Infinger. “This is going to be a quick moving storm so hopefully we'll get a little wind I believe around 2 a.m., so I would just say stay safe, get in the safe part of your house, listen for your code red alerts - if you haven't signed up go sign up. We are here to help folks. We have everything ready to go to keep our citizens safe.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: ‘We are ready for this storm’: Bryan County holds presser regarding Hurricane Helene