Pike County government offices and Pike’s schools will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10 due to possible snow and icy conditions.
“As you know, forecasting the weather is always a challenge. However, based on the information provided to the school district regarding the winter weather predicted to arrive on Friday, we believe it is not safe for students and staff to travel to and from school,” said a statement from the schools. “The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. Therefore, Pike County Schools will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10. Thank you for your understanding, and please stay safe.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency declaration for all of Georgia in anticipation of the arrival of extreme winter weather which will affect much of the state. This declaration authorizes the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) to activate the State Operations Center (SOC) and mobilize any needed resources to address potential impacts. In addition to the many Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) crews and hundreds of personnel who began treating nearly 20,000 lane miles of roads in north and central Georgia with brine last evening, Georgia DOT will join other state agencies in providing essential personnel to the command center at the SOC as the storm continues to advance.
Thursday has also seen Georgia DOT crews continuing to apply brine to interstates, state routes, bridges and overpasses across metro Atlanta as well as north and central Georgia. Crews continue to work 12-hour shifts and are prioritizing those routes that are heavily traveled by emergency vehicles. All interstates and state routes in the most affected areas will have been treated at least once by the time the storm arrives early Friday morning, with ongoing monitoring of roadways and the potential for the application of additional brine, salt and gravel as conditions warrant.