Thomas County declared a local state of emergency at noon Friday as local officials prepared for a potentially significant weather event associated with Hurricane Isaias.The Thomas County Board of Commissioners said the declarat ion allows the county to take immediate action to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents, including people with household pets and service animals.Emergency operations plan activatedUnder the declaration, the Thomas County Emergency Management Agency was ordered to activate the countys emergency operations plan.The order also puts emergency management ordinances adopted by the Thomas County Commission into operation. County officials said extraordinary and immediate corrective actions may be needed because of the emergency conditions associated with Hurricane Isaias.The local state of emergency took effect at noon Oct. 9 and will remain in place until the conditions requiring the declaration have ended, according to the county order. The declaration states that Georgia is also under a statewide emergency declaration related to Hurricane Isaias.Thomas County residents should continue monitoring official county and emergency management updates as weather conditions develop.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less