WATCH: Georgia governor, emergency officials provide Ian update from Savannah airport

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was in Savannah on Thursday morning to provide an update on Ian preparations.

The governor was joined by Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Chris Stallings. Other local officials were also there.

Governor Kemp issued a State of Emergency on Tuesday, which went into effect on Thursday at 7 a.m. for all 159 of Georgia’s counties.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency State Operations Center is now at a Level 1 full-scale activation. They are also standing by to deploy to affected counties, when appropriate.

The governor and emergency management officials are also coordinating with Georgia’s utility providers, who have been staging equipment, inspecting the right-of-way paths of power lines, and preparing to respond to any power outages homes and businesses may experience.

The Savannah Hilton Head International Airport remains open and operational at this time.

The Savannah port terminal cleared any waiting vessels Wednesday night and operations will continue until 6 p.m. Thursday evening. The Georgia Ports Authority will reassess needs and an expected timeline for return to operations on Friday.

The Governor says several Floridians have come to Georgia over the past several days, and Georgia is welcoming them with open arms.

He says there is still reliable hotel/motel availability with sufficient capacity to meet demand. The tourism division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development has activated the Explore Georgia hurricane information webpage to help travelers and evacuees impacted by Tropical Storm Ian find hotel room openings and lodging availability, hours of operation for the state’s nine Visitor Information Centers, and links to emergency resources.

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