As Georgia storm looms, Kemp directs preparation from abroad

The Republican is overseas on a trade mission to Belgium and the United Kingdom as freezing rains and sleet threaten to paralyze roads and trigger widespread power outages in North Georgia.

But Kemp, whose approach to natural disasters has been tested since even before he took office seven years ago, is orchestrating the state’s response from abroad.

He has declared a state of emergency for all 159 counties over the next seven days and directed agencies to gear up for the storm. He also laid the groundwork to deploy 500 members of the National Guard in case they’re needed.

What’s complicating matters is the ever-shifting forecasts. The National Weather Service said there’s a “great deal of uncertainty” about how much ice and freezing rain could accumulate across a band that stretches from Atlanta and its suburbs to the North Georgia mountains.

The Kemp administration is urging caution — and sticking to a better-safe-than-sorry posture that has dominated Georgia’s weather planning since 2014.

“We just want all of Georgia to be winter aware,” Kemp said. “Literally a degree or two in temperature can affect whether we have rain or snow or ice or freezing rain. So that’s something we’re going to have to continue to watch, which is why we’re asking everyone to be prepared.”

‘Early on this’

Georgia’s storm approach has been irrevocably shaped by the winter storm a dozen years ago that paralyzed metro Atlanta for days and scarred many Atlantans who recall being stuck in its icy grip.

In the days that followed, the state’s emergency chief apologized for failing to wake then-Gov. Nathan Deal as conditions worsened overnight. Deal also waited until hours after gridlock seized Atlanta’s streets to open a command center to respond to the mess.

The missteps prompted vast changes to Georgia’s emergency management protocol — and vows from Deal and local officials for more aggressive and preemptive action that still guides state policy today.

For Kemp, the approach was tested when Hurricane Michael tore through South Georgia in October 2018 while he was still on the campaign trail.

The storm was so destructive, flattening communities and devastating farmland through its arc of misery, that the World Meteorological Organization later retired Michael’s name.

At the time, Kemp was locked in a tight gubernatorial race. Once in office, he inherited a long and bruising fight in Congress to secure disaster aid, putting him at odds with fellow Republicans. It took nearly a year to obtain the funding and longer still for it to reach farmers.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Since then, Kemp and his agency heads have leaned hard into the same proactive playbook — evident every time the governor fires off state-of-emergency orders and warns Georgians to stay off the roads at the whiff of a wintry storm.

His biggest test yet might have taken place in 2024, when Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 4 before slamming Georgia.

The storm held its strength deep inland, carving a path of destruction from Valdosta to Augusta and devastating rural communities far from the spotlight. In its wake, Kemp toured far-flung, hard-hit areas that often feel overlooked and lobbied for federal aid.

Kemp’s take-no-chances philosophy is front and center again this week.

Kemp ordered the state’s emergency operations center to activate at 7 a.m. Saturday and said it would remain open until the threat has passed. His emergency declaration runs for seven days — long after the storm is expected to fizzle out.

Transportation crews are already preparing roadways, and state agencies are coordinating with local officials, hospitals and nursing homes on emergency plans. The governor, too, hasn’t ruled out an early return from abroad.

“We’re still early on this,” Kemp said, “but we’ll be monitoring it 24-7.”