TELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. — As Hurricane Idalia moved through Central Georgia, many EMA directors in our area reported only moderate damage.
But in Telfair County -- one of the closest counties to the storm -- EMA director Lee Conner painted a different picture of Idalia's impact.
"Right now, please stay home," Conner said. "Don't be on the road, don't be looking. We still have a lot of trees to clean up."
In his interview with 13WMAZ's Ben Jones at around 4 p.m., Conner said that many trees and powerlines are down throughout the county, leaving many roads impassable.
Additionally, Conner confirmed that a firefighter was sent to the hospital after being injured by a falling tree.
"She's going to the hospital," Conner said. "Got into the middle of this wind, and a tree happened to fall on her."
He said the firefighter is expected to survive.
Conner described the damage in Telfair County as "widespread." Conner says that "every major city" in Telfair, including McRea, is feeling some impact from Idalia.
But the southern part of the county was "hammered" especially hard, Conner said.
But with the conditions out in the county during the 4 p.m. interview, Conner told 13WMAZ that they had to suspend clean-up operations until conditions improved.
"We still have a lot of trees to clean up," Conner said. "We actually suspended operation until we know that we can do it safely."
Conner says that the combination of power lines and fallen trees can pose risks.
"We have a lot to clean up, and a lot of the trees that are down have power lines in them. So that's a major issue." Conner said.
It is recommended that people treat every downed power line as active.
At around 6 p.m., 460 Georgia Power customers are without power, according to the electric company's outage map.
We will continue to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia in Telfair County and across Central Georgia.