As residents begin to return to the east end of the county, businesses are starting to get back to normal in the western section of town and around Hinesville.

Works crews worked steadily in removing debris from the roadways in the heavily hit sections of the county. Hurricane Matthew made landfall late Friday evening through Saturday morning bringing category two winds and pounding rain to the area.

By Saturday morning roughly 19,000 customers were without power.

But some areas were fortunate and kept power throughout the storm. That fed a frenzy by mid-day Saturday, as people swarmed sections of E.G.Miles Parkway that still had power. Bo Bo’s Seafood, The Dug Out, Burger King, Good To Go Jamaican restaurant and a few others were trying hard to keep up with the lines of people looking for a hot meal. The lines at gas stations formed, stretching into the main roadways. While major grocery chains remained closed Saturday smaller chains like Dollar General and Family Store were open, most offering cash only services since internet services are down.

Busy intersections were manned with law enforcement officers directing traffic Saturday.

By Sunday morning power had been restored to larger sections of the community. The Walmart Neighborhood Market near Allenhurst was re-opened although the gas station there was still closed. Many of the Flash Foods and Parkers service stations appeared to be operational again.

Most places are still cash only due to nonfunctioning internet access.

Residents should expect long lines at open locations and be prepared to have cash on hand. Officials are asking folks to stay home and off the roads if possible to help expedite recovery and restoration efforts.

Lines are expected to increase as more residents return home from mandatory and voluntary evacuations.