THOMASVILLE — As Hurricane Elsa continues to make its way through the Gulf of Mexico, officials say the storm will not have severe direct impact on Thomas County due to its current tracking path.

Elsa, upgraded to a hurricane around 8 p.m. Tuesday, is expected to pass through South Georgia on Wednesday afternoon with heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches which can cause flooding, according to a National Weather Service report but Chris Jones, Thomas County fire chief and Emergency Management director, said that conditions from the storm won’t cause the emergency center to open up.

“We could see some trees or some power lines down from trees falling because our ground is saturated, but at this point, with the current track of the storm and the time of it, we don’t feel like we’ll open our emergency operations center up to handle the storm. We don’t think it will be that type of event,” he said. 

While there are no signs of the Emergency Operations Center needing to be used during the storm, Jones said everyone is prepared to alter the course of action if anything changes. 

“All of our departments that participate in our emergency operations center, they’re ready. They have everything taken care of should we need to open it, but we don’t anticipate that with the storm,” he said. 

Jones said The National Weather Service still advises residents to stay prepared for any storm activity with a storm ready kit. 

“Everyone needs to have their family storm kit together and they need to plan for potential power outages, which means they need flashlights, batteries, non-perishable foods and maybe their prescriptions,”Jones said. “If they have a generator, make sure to hook that up properly, if they choose to use that.”

By having these and other storm supplies ready, Jones said the community can help officials do their jobs easier. 

“If the community is prepared to be without power for a couple of hours and storm ready, then we’re better prepared because we’re able to just take care of maintaining our roads and keeping those open and answer those emergency calls,” he said.

Lastly, Jones said staying up-to-date on storm warnings and watches will ensure the safety of residents. 

“People should have a way to receive the watches and/or warnings,” he said. “There is a slight chance for tornadoes. So, if someone in their family or network doesn’t have a smartphone or won’t be able to get those warnings, they should have a plan where they call that individual personally and say ‘hey, there’s been a warning issued through your area,’ just neighbors taking care of neighbors.”