SNELLVILLE – City police and public works crews had their hands full Monday and Tuesday, keeping roads clear of trees and power lines and residents safe in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
As heavy winds and rain forced most people to seek shelter, the two agencies went the extra mile to keep residents safe and traffic moving.
"On behalf of the Mayor and Council I just want to thank our dedicated employees for their efforts in keeping Snellville safer and our roadways cleared throughout this major weather event," said City Manager Butch Sanders.
Snellville police responded to eight accident calls, 109 area checks, 10 citizen assist calls, four calls reporting trees hitting structures, 24 street hazard calls, 14 calls of wires down, 25 calls of trees down, 26 alarms and three fire-related calls on top of their usual workload during the storm.
Ten additional officers including three reserve officers were called in and 16 officers were held over their usual shifts to assist.
Public Works crews removed trees from blocking roadways through the evening on Springdale Road, Elizabeth Lane, Larkspur Circle, Alamo Place, Pine Road, Summit View Circle and Ridgedale Drive at Driftwood Place.
As of Tuesday morning, several streets had trees or live power lines down prohibiting travel - Williams Place, Village Court and Norton Street.
The storm left many in the city without power. More than 50,000 Walton EMC customers lost power in the storm, half of which had power restored by Tuesday morning.