Richmond Hill marina workers prepare for Ian

RICHMOND HILL Ga. (WTOC) - Marina workers in Richmond Hill are working to take boats out of the water before any impacts from Ian.

Staff at Ft. McAllister Marina say they’ve been working ahead of the storm to take boats out of the water as Richmond Hill fire officials are warning people in this area to be prepared.

“They’re coming down here and taking them out of the water. We have one or two people that are going to move upriver, just in case,” said Butch Broome, the owner of Ft. McAllister Marina & Fish Tales.

He says he and his staff are no strangers to tropical storms, and they’re bracing for Ian’s potential impacts.

“This storm’s going to impact us from the northeast, which is the worst possible case for us. There’s nothing to block the wind coming from the northeast direction,” Broome said.

Across town, Richmond Hill’s fire chief, Brendon Greene, says they’ve also been preparing and is encouraging others to do the same.

“We don’t know what we’re going to be getting, but we’ve prepared as if we’re getting the worst. We’ve got everything in line, we’ve checked equipment, we’ve filled up fuel, we’ve gone through and checked generators, checked facilities,” Greene said.

Chief Greene says Ian’s track is making it hard to know just what the impacts might be.

“We want to protect people, property, we want to protect everything we can. We don’t know what we’re going to get as this storm is on the track that’s predicted at this time, but we are prepared for what we might get,” Greene said.

Public works crews also clearing ditches to alleviate any potential flooding.

Back at the marina, Broome says preparations are essential.

“The problem is, you really just don’t know, until 24 hours before it hits, exactly what you’re going to get,” Broome said.

Since flooding is a concern with this storm, Chief Greene is reminding people to not drive through flooded roads and instead call 911 during an emergency.

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