DALTON, Ga. — Despite concerns about what Tropical Storm Irma might bring to the area, Monday and Tuesday were seemingly routine rainy days for Whitfield and Murray counties as the feared impact was largely unrealized. 

The entire northern half of the state was part of a tropical storm warning on Monday — a first for Whitfield and Murray — but there was little in the way of any major damage, according to emergency management officials in both counties. 

“We are very blessed,” Whitfield County Emergency Management Director Claude Craig said Tuesday. “We had a few trees down, but other than that, not much happened. We had a transformer go out and might have lost about 1,000 power customers at one point (Monday night) but it was restored rather quickly. All-in-all, we were prepared for the worst and prayed for the best, and we were very fortunate and blessed for the outcome that we did have.”

Craig said compared to the coast and even places like the northeast corner of the state, northwest Georgia experienced little of the “tropical effects.” He said Habersham County in northeast Georgia lost three communication towers to winds and 98 percent of the population was without power Tuesday morning.

Murray County Emergency Management Director Dewayne Bain reported even less of an impact in the Chatsworth and surrounding area. Bain said there were reports of a few trees down on Fort Mountain, but other than that there was little in Irma which packed much of a punch there. 

“It was pretty uneventful, thank goodness,” Bain said. “Nothing really happened over here.”

Local public schools and state offices were closed on Monday and Tuesday after Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for the entire state Sunday night. But after Irma made landfall in Florida and moved into south Georgia, the devastating winds diminished rapidly, Craig said.

“A tropical cyclone does get most of its energy from water and more especially from warm water,” he said. “Once it reaches land, it loses its velocity, and It kind of starts dissipating. But it was amazing how big this storm was — 600 miles from the center were tropical storm-force winds.”

Craig said with little in the way of impact locally, area emergency responders are preparing to help other communities in Georgia should the state call them into action.

“We will help them as we can,” Craig said. “Our main concern is making sure we are OK here, but we are in a declaration of emergency and the state can immediately resource people to the right spots. We will assist in whatever ways we can.”