Irma Takes Aim At Georgia

Lydia O'Connor
Updated

As much of Florida began to assess the damage wrought by Hurricane Irma over the weekend, Georgia braced for the northbound storm to take its toll on Monday.

Irma was downgraded to a tropical storm Monday morning as it made its way toward northern Florida and Georgia, but it “still remains a strong and dangerous storm system,” the National Weather Service warned that afternoon.

Across northern and central Georgia, people reported widespread instances of downed trees and power outages, according to the NWS. Wind gusts as high as 65 mph are possible across the northern part of the state throughout the day and into the night, while the north and central parts of the state can expect as many as 6 inches of rain as the storm moves through the region.

Irma is responsible for at least two deaths in the state on Monday, officials confirmed with the Associated Press. In Worth County, a 62-year-old man died when he used a ladder to climb onto a shed. Another official confirmed a death in Sandy Springs but did not provide further details.

At 5 p.m., more than 1.4 million customers in Georgia were without power, according to utility companies Georgia Power and Georgia EMC.

The NWS issued flash flood warnings for several areas, effective until 7:45 p.m. Monday.

On Monday, Irma began seriously affecting travel at Georgia’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights out of the crucial U.S. air hub on Monday, with Delta alone canceling at least 800.

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A truck was blown over as Hurricane Irma passed through the Florida Keys.
A truck was blown over as Hurricane Irma passed through the Florida Keys.
A man died when his pickup truck crashed into a tree in the Florida Keys.
A man died when his pickup truck crashed into a tree in the Florida Keys.
High winds split a large tree in Coral Beach.
High winds split a large tree in Coral Beach.
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 10: People walk past a building where the roof was blown off by Hurricane Irma on September 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Hurricane Irma, which first made landfall in the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, has weakened to a Category 2 as it moves up the coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 10: People walk past a building where the roof was blown off by Hurricane Irma on September 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Hurricane Irma, which first made landfall in the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, has weakened to a Category 2 as it moves up the coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Boats at a marina in Coconut Grove
Boats at a marina in Coconut Grove
Flooding in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida, U.S. September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Yang
Flooding in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida, U.S. September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Yang
A street sign is knocked over by high winds in Coral Beach.
A street sign is knocked over by high winds in Coral Beach.
Flooding in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida, U.S. September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Yang
Flooding in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida, U.S. September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Yang
Boats at a marina in Coconut Grove.
Boats at a marina in Coconut Grove.
A vehicle drives along a flooded street in downtown Miami.
A vehicle drives along a flooded street in downtown Miami.
Flooding begins in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida, U.S. September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Yang
Flooding begins in the Brickell neighborhood as Hurricane Irma passes Miami, Florida, U.S. September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Yang
A collapsed construction crane downtown Miami.
A collapsed construction crane downtown Miami.
Palm trees blow in the winds in Bonita Springs.
Palm trees blow in the winds in Bonita Springs.
Broken tree branches block roads in Coral Beach.
Broken tree branches block roads in Coral Beach.
East Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
East Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.