Media Releases

PORT WENTWORTH, GA – August 5, 2024 – The City of Port Wentworth joins the State of Georgia, Chatham County, and other local cities in declaring an EMERGENCY for the incoming Tropical Storm Debby. Please take this weather event seriously, listen to all warnings and advisories, review your emergency plan with your family, and finalize your emergency supply kit. 

 

The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Chatham County through Monday at 1:30am and a Flood Watch from Monday at 2am through Friday morning. The potential impacts of flooding to our area cannot be overstated. Latest forecasts predict 12 to 18 inches of rain over the next couple of days. 

 

Citizens of Port Wentworth should expect the rain to start Monday afternoon and continue for 48-72 hours as the storm stalls over our area. This stalling effect is predicted to cause severe flooding in low lying areas. 

 

The City of Port Wentworth is taking Tropical Storm Debby seriously.  We have mobilized our entire city to emergency staff levels. We are moving Police, Fire, and Public Works to 12 hour shifts with additional resources to support them. We have enacted our Emergency Operations Center and working closely with our County and State Emergency Management partners.  

 

City offices will close today at Noon and remain closed until Thursday morning.  City events planned for this week, including National Night Out, Streetscape Open House, and the Future Land Use Map Open House are all postponed with new dates to be determined. In addition, Municipal Court has been cancelled for Tuesday, and all Recreation practices have been cancelled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  

 

Now is the time to plan and prepare. The city is providing sand and sandbags at two locations, Festival Site at 317 Cantyre St and Fire Station Two at 6781 SR 21. When the rain begins, please avoid driving unless absolutely necessary. Do not attempt to drive through flood waters. Do not walk in flood waters or touch any downed power lines you see. Throw away all food items that come in contact with flood waters. 

 

The Mayor, City Council, and the entire Port Wentworth staff wish everyone to stay safe during this storm. Please follow us and the Chatham Emergency Management Agency on social media for regular updates.