Atlanta airport cancels 800 flights

The nation's busiest airport canceled about 800 flights Monday as a weakened Irma moved from Florida into Georgia, where the governor had declared an emergency a day earlier for the entire state.

 The city of Savannah, on Georgia's coast, was evacuated for the second time in less than a year because of the impending storm, and the National Weather Service in Peachtree City confirmed that Atlanta - more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) inland from either the Atlantic or Gulf coasts - was under a tropical storm warning for the first time.

 Spokesman Andrew Gobeil said Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport would remain operational on Monday and would continue to monitor storm conditions with the help of the Federal Aviation Administration.

By early Monday, around 450,000 Georgia Power and EMC customers mostly in coastal and south Georgia were without power after Irma crossed over into the state overnight, bringing high winds and rain.   Thousands of evacuees from Florida have swarmed into Atlanta for shelter as they fled Irma in recent days.

 Couple Felicia Clark and Johnny Thompson along with their two dogs, Gracie and Roscoe, evacuated from Florida's gulf coast and have been staying in a downtown Atlanta hotel since Sunday. While walking his dog in nearby Centennial Olympic Park, Thompson encountered a couple dozen of other evacuated Florida residents who in the same predicament as them.

 With memories of the gridlock on Interstate 75 fresh on his mind, Thompson said they are considering heading back home Monday despite prediction of heavy rain and strong winds expected to run through south Georgia.

 "I would rather drive through the middle of it today than sit in traffic with everyone else returning to Florida tomorrow," Thompson said.

Source: Khaleej Times