Traffic Report: Savannah Police give update on traffic light outages, flooding, downed trees (2024)

POWERFUL WIND AND RAIN... HEADING OUR WAY. WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE... TRACKING FLOODING CONCERNS.. AND HELPING YOU STAY PREPARED... FOR POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES. "LET'S DO THE ONE THING WE NEED TO DO, PASS THE BUDGET AND GET HOME" AND WITH LAWMAKERS IN BOTH OF OUR STATES.. BACK IN SESSION.. WE'RE LEARNING - *WHY THEY MAY BE WORKING - *FASTER.. THIS TIME AROUND. THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING - - I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS IS JOINING US NOW .... NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TODAY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM. SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE, WITH DAMAGING WINDS. HIGH NEAR 70. WINDY, WITH A SOUTH WIND 18 TO 23 MPH INCREASING TO 27 TO 32 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 45 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IS 100%. NEW RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN THREE QUARTERS AND ONE INCH POSSIBLE. TUESDAY NIGHT MOSTLY CLOUDY, THEN GRADUALLY BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 40. BREEZY, WITH A SOUTHWEST WIND 16 TO 22 MPH, WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 34 MPH THIS MORNING... CREWS ON STANDING BY... WAITING FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT COULD BE LEFT BEHIND FROM TODAY'S STORMS. WE CAPTURED VIDEO OF THESE TREE SERVICE TRUCKS GATHERED ON VICTORY DRIVE LAST NIGHT. WJCL 22 NEWS AJ SISSON IS JOINING US LIVE FROM SAVANNAH. AJ .. I KNOW CREWS ARE READY TO HEAD OUT IF THERE ARE POWER OUTAGES. THAT'S RIGHT EMMA ... FRANK. THIS MORNING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN NORTHERN GEORGIA ARE WAKING UP IN THE DARK BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY FEELING THE IMPACTS OF THE POWERFUL WIND HEADING THIS WAY. AND WE TALKED TO GEORGIA POWER... WHO TOLD US *WHY THEY'RE *WAITING TO SEND CREWS OUT. " WE'RE SETTING UP OUR CREWS OR COMMUNICATING WHERE THEY MAY NEED TO GO. BUT RIGHT NOW, WE CAN'T SEND THEM OUT AND STAGE THEM BECAUSE IT'S A STATEWIDE EVENT. SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE WHERE IT MAY HIT THROUGHOUT THE STATE." CREWS ALSO RECOMMEND TURNING OFF..... OR UNPLUGGING ANY APPLIANCE THAT WILL TURN ON AUTOMATICALLY AS POWER IS RESTORED ... SUCH AS REFRIGERATORS ... COOKING APPLIANCES ... TVS ... AND COMPUTERS. THIS WILL HELP AVOID OVERLOADING CIRCUITS. AND YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR EMERGENCY KIT... BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE.. WJCL DOT COM. BACKK TO YOU. THANKS AJ. OUR TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES WITH WJCL 22 NEWS SAVANNAH YOUNGER JOINING US LIVE THIS MORNING. SAVANNAH... YOU HEARD FROM CONCERNED NEIGHBORS ABOUT FLOODING HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT ARE THEY WORRIED ABOUT? YEAH EMMA... I'M STANDING OUT HERE ON 54TH STREET.. RIGHT BY (...). THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS THAT SAW IMPROVEMENTS.. THANKS TO A STORMWATER DRAINAGE PROJECT. THE CITY RECEIVED $30 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANT MONEY TO ADDRESS UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN THE SPRINGFIELD CANAL. I TALKED TO A WOMAN.. THAT LIVES NEAR THE SPRINGFIELD CANAL... WHO SAYS FLOODING IS A CONSTANT ISSUE IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD. CARMEN HOPSON- SAVANNAH RESIDENT "SOMETIME TOILET IT GET CLOGGED UP AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND, YOU KNOW, IT COSTS TO GO TO PAY A PLUMBER TO COME AND GET IT. AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE YOU ARM AND A LEG" SAVANNAH'S CITY COUNCIL COULD APPROVE TO EXPAND THE PROJECT TO 56TH AND 57TH STREET .. ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ABERCORN.. DURING THEIR MEETING THURSDAY NIGHT. BACK TO YOU. THANKS SAVANNAH NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO DOWNLOAD THE WJCL 22 NEWS APP.. WHERE YOU CAN STAY UPDATED ABOUT SCHOOL CLOSURES.. AND GET WEATHER ALERTS SENT *DIRECTLY TO YOUR PHONE. HAPPENING TODAY... SOUTH CAROLINA'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION WILL BEGIN. ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES ON GOVERNOR HENRY MCMASTER'S MIND.. IS RAMPING UP SCHOOL SAFETY. HE'S ASKING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR MORE MONEY.. TO HIRE ARMED RESOURCE OFFICERS. AND ALSO SET UP A SCHOOL SAFETY CENTER IN LEXINGTON COUNTY.... WHERE OFFICERS.. TEACHERS.. AND OTHER STAFF MEMBERS WILL TRAIN. "&LT;(2:02-2:15) THAT'S OUR MOST POSITIVE THING ABOUT IT IS THAT IT IS SO PROACTIVE. AND THIS IS GOING TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN ANYTIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IN A SCHOOL SETTING, WHICH OBVIOUSLY THEY CAN'T DO WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT.&GT;" LAWMAKERS HAVE ALSO BROUGHT UP ISSUES INCLUDING THE NEED FOR NEW - *BRIDGES.. AND LEGALIZING MEDICAL MARIJUANA. AND GEORGIA LAWMAKERS ARE ALREADY BACK IN SESSION.. WITH THE STATE'S GENERAL ASSEMBLY GETTING UNDERWAY YESTERDAY. WJCL 22 NEWS OLIVIA - WILE HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK WITH ONE OF OUR LAWMAKERS ... ABOUT THE FIRST DAY IN SESSION. "THIS BEGINS 27 YEARS FOR ME WHEN I STARTED THIS I HAVE JET BLACK HAIR." REPRESENTATIVE RON STEPHENS AND THE REST OF THE GEORGIA ASSEMBLY RECONVENED IN ATLANTA MONDAY FOR THE FIRST DAY THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION.. STEPHENS SAYS BRYAN COUNTY WILL BE HIS FOCUS. (REP. RON STEPHENS) "THEY ARE GOING TO START MAKING CARS IN 100 DAYS. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO MAKE SURE THAT GOES SMOOTHLY SO I WANT TO HELP THE FOLKS BACK HOME TO MAKE SURE THIS PROCESS GOES SMOOTHLY." THE REPRESENTATIVE HAS ALSO BEEN A CHAMPION FOR SPORTS BETTING.. HE SAYS HE EXPECTS IT TO BE DISCUSSED QUOTE "SOON." I ASKED GEORGIA SOUTHERN POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR DR. KIMBERLY MARTIN TO WEIGH IN. (DR. KIMBERLY MARTIN, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY) "THE COMPOSITION OF THE LEGISLATURE IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT SO IM NOT SURE THEY'LL BE ABLE TO PASS ANYTHING THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO LAST YEAR SO THEY MAY NEED TO WAIT UNTIL THE ELECTION AND TRY AGAIN." WHILE 2024 IS A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR.. IT'S ALSO A STATEWIDE ELECTION YEAR.. SOMETHING MARTIN SAYS WILL PLAY A ROLE THIS SESSION. (DR. KIMBERLY MARTIN, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY) THEY'RE GOING TO PASS BILLS AND QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GET BACK, THEY WANT TO START FUNDRAISING BECAUSE THIS IS AN ELECTION YEAR THEY ALSO WANT TO PASS LEGISLATION WITH HIGH IMPACT SO THEY CAN GO BACK TO THEIR AREAS AND SAY 'HEY THIS IS WHAT I DID IN ATLANTA.'" AND HE'S ALREADY EAGER TO GET BACK TO SAVANNAH. (REP. RON STEPHENS) THERE IS THINKING THE SAME THING I AM, LET'S DO THE ONE THING WE NEED TO DO, PASS THE BUDGET AND GET HOME." THIS MORNING ... FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ...WANTS THE ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE AGAINST HIM IN GEORGIA ... THROWN OUT. IN A MOTION FILED MONDAY .. TRUMP'S LAWYER ARGUES THAT HE IS PROTECTED FROM PROSECUTION UNDER PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY. AND COMING UP... OUR CREW IN WASHINGTON.. WILL HAVE THE LATEST ON *ANOTHER IMMUNITY BATTLE RAGING ON. I'M AMY LU IN WASHINGTON WHERE FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS IN TOWN -- MAKING HIS CASE TO THROW OUT FEDERAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE CHARGES AGAINST HIM. YOU CAN CATCH THE FULL LIVE REPORT FROM WASHINGTON D-C.. COMING UP AT SIX- THIRTY. <> THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES ON TOP OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD THIS MORNING. LAST NIGHT IN HOUSTON, MICHIGAN BEATING WASHINGTON 34-13 TO WIN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. IT'S THE WOLVERINES FIRST NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 1997. AND HERE'S A LOOK AT YOUR TRAFFIC TRACK 22. THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS ON THE ROADS THIS MORNING. JIMMY DELOACH PARKWAY AT DEAN FOREST