CLEVELAND, Ga. – White County Department of Public Safety Director David Murphy called city and county officials to a meeting at county’s Emergency Operations Center Friday morning, to check on their preparedness for the impact of Hurricane Irma.

All law enforcement agencies in the county and all fire departments were represented along with a handful of emergency management personnel, members of the Certified Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.), city and county managers and some county commissioners.

Irma is expected to make landfall near the Florida Keys late Saturday and Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the storm is “way bigger than Andrew.” Hurricane Irma has been downgraded to a category 4 but maximum winds are about 150 miles per hour.

After landfall, Irma is expected to produce a destructive path as it rumbles northward through central Florida as it bears down on Georgia. Most hurricanes weaken as they pass over land and Irma is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches northeast Georgia.

“A reasonable arrival time when we will experience tropical storm winds is Monday morning around 8 a.m. and throughout the day and into Tuesday night,” Murphy said. Sustained winds are expected to be about 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph.

“Projected rainfall is between 2.8 and 3.5 inches. We have had that much rainfall before, but add that to the high winds and we could have a problem,” Murphy added.

All of those charged with the responsibility of protecting the citizens reported that their agencies are as ready as they can be.

Friendship Baptist Church, 3513 Westmoreland Road in Cleveland, Mount Yonah Elementary School, 1161 Duncan Bridge Road and the Mauney Building 1241 Helen Highway, have been designated as safe haven/comfort shelters  for those who live in sub-standard housing, mobile homes or RV’s and feel threatened due to weather conditions.

Murphy said three conditions could trigger the opening of those shelters: damaging winds with tornado activity; the storm center issues a tornado watch and conditions on the ground along with multiple calls from the public about where to go. They have already been supplied with cots, blankets and water.

The Bridge Church, 607 Hulsey Road in Cleveland, will serve as the Red Cross congregate center and will be opened to the public if the area is hit by a tornado or the Red Cross requests it to open as an evacuation center.

The flight of Floridians to escape Irma has already reached White County. As of Friday morning two vendors have run out of gas.

Generators have been prepositioned at the county courthouse to ensure that the lines of communication remain open.

The county public works director said his department has adequate fuel supply and 10-12 people assigned to a chain saw strike team to help clear roads of fallen trees.

Sheriff Neal Walden said that as of noon today, all leave is canceled. One of his major concerns is if the county jail is damaged by high winds, he may need a bus on short notice to transport prisoners.

Asked if he had a message for those tempted to get out and survey the damage after the storm passes through, Walden said, “We will absolutely not allow gawkers. Stay at home.” He also cautioned residents to be alert for scammers who like to take advantage of disasters.

County Commission Chairman Travis Turner urged everyone to, “Be ready to assist one another and our neighbors. Let’s work together. We want to come out of this with a win.”