ATLANTA (AP) – The remnants of Hurricane Irma forced Atlanta’s international airport – the world’s busiest passenger airport – to cancel nearly 200 flights early Tuesday. The storm also claimed two lives in Georgia and two in South Carolina.
The flights canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport put the total number of interrupted trips there due to Irma at about 1,300, spokesman Andrew Gobeil said. The airport remained operational, with flights taking off and landing. However, some passengers were forced to spend the night at the airport. Gobeil said he didn’t have the exact number.
Meteorologist Keith Stellman said Atlanta’s airport recorded sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) with gusts up to 64 mph (103 kph). The National Hurricane Center said it expects Irma to drop 5 inches to 8 inches (13 to 20 centimeters) of rain across South Carolina and the northern regions of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi through Tuesday.
Georgia’s Gov. Nathan Deal lifted a mandatory evacuation order for six coastal counties. The order allows local authorities to determine when residents may return home.
Deal called the storm an “unusual” in that it affected the entire state, rather than being localized.