BRUNSWICK, Ga. — People living in Glynn County, Georgia are bracing for the impacts of Tropical Storm Debby. The city of Brunswick and Glynn County declared a State of Emergency ahead of the storm due to the risk of flooding.
Some resident felts the impacts of the storm before the worst weather moved through. Roger Urbatch was shocked when he woke up this morning to the sound of chainsaws.
"My wife got me and said ‘Roger our tree fell,' and I said 'no…,'" Urbatch explained.
A massive tree in his front yard fell across Cartwright Circle in the Windward Acres neighborhood of Brunswick. The tree blocked the road and landed in his neighbor's yard. Urbatch said Glynn County Public Works crews were out there early Monday morning working to clear the tree from the road.
"I was surprised to see the big ol' tree gone, and now I’m kind of wondering how I will deal with what’s left of it," Urbatch said.
Over on St. Simons Island, people flocked to the pier before conditions got worse. Vicky and Steve Ward were visiting from Canada. They were planning for a nice beach vacation, but instead get to experience their first tropical storm.
"It’s pretty exciting and terrifying at the same time," Vicky said.
John Hightower was also visiting the pier with his daughter. They wanted to check out how conditions were before the worst of the storm rolled through.
“It’s hard to explain, but there's just a feeling, kind of like electricity, when the weather gets like this. We're all in this together. There's about 17,000 local residents, and we just all feel this unity when something like this happens," Hightower said.
Glynn County opened an emergency shelter for people who need to leave their homes due to flooding. It is at the gym in Selden Park, 100 Genoa Martin Drive in Brunswick.