Wheeler County Working Through Recovery Phase

Hurricane Helene swept through South Georgia and Wheeler County on September 27, leaving damage which was unprecedented in the memory of residents who have lived in the county all of their lives. Emerging from the chaos caused early Friday by winds estimated at 75 to 100 miles per hour, residents awoke to find utter destruction surrounding them — big trees on top of homes and covering roads, and power lines down everywhere. The entire county, like its neighbors on all sides, was without power, the means to communicate, and with many trapped inside their neighborhoods.

But soon after the disorientation of those first few hours, citizens rallied and began to help one another. In one neighborhood, a young man who works for a tree surgeon used the tools on his truck to work with his family and neighbors to cut a path down a rural, dirt road and to a local highway. Local loggers, farmers, and the Georgia Forestry team worked together to begin clearing the major routes in and out of the county.

By Sunday, County EMA Director Steve Adams had been able to set up an emergency command post at the Alamo Community Center, and soon supplies and assistance came pouring it. At the Wheeler County Community Center, Tax Commissioner Kim Clark assumed the role of donation center coordinator and began unloading water that was being supplied from outside the county. In the next few days, help would come from the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and volunteers from as far away as West Virginia.

“It was humbling and overwhelming,” Clark said of the humanity she witnessed. Assisted by members of the community, with several county officials like her, including Superior Court Clerk Carol Bragg and Probate Judge Jolinda Harrelson, Clark gladly received the contributions of food, and household items — virtually everything people might need to get back on their feet. Some volunteers even brought in skid steers and generators. Others cooked meals and fed the teams of linemen who had come to help Georgia Power and Little Ocmulgee EMC begin the arduous task of reconnecting the county. The First Baptist Church of Alamo provided meals for the National Guard troops who arrived to help, and many others from inside and outside the county supplied meals to the volunteers working in the command post.

“We’re in the recovery phase now,” Adams said Monday, October 14. He noted that 98% to 99% percent of the residences and businesses across the county had power restored, except for a few homes that were too heavily damaged for safe connections, and hunting camps in heavily-wooded areas. Those repairs will be accomplished in time Adams said. He praised the efforts of the local linemen and those who came from across the country to help. “They were prepared and they did a magnificent job,” he said of the mobilization and teamwork.

The cleanup of rightsof- way along major highways is being undertaken by the Department of Transportation and cleanup along rights-of -way along municipal streets and county roads have been assigned under a FEMA municipal aid contract signed by the county and its two municipalities.

Wheeler County Commission Chairman Keith McNeal said all county roads have been cleared except for St. Paul Church Road where a dam break caused a major washout. “We have ordered the pipe to fix that road,” he said, adding that all county roads are passable even though they may be rough to travel on, and all state routes are cleared white line to white line. “As bad as it was, it could have been worse,” he acknowledged, referencing the nightmare still ongoing in North Carolina where Hurricane Helene caused massive devastation and loss of life.

DONATION CENTER VOLUNTEERS — From left, Kim Clark, Brylee Milton, Donna Harville, Sandra McNeal, Scarlett Clark, and Jolinda Harrelson take stock of donations in the days following the Hurricane disaster. Supplies that poured into the county from all over the region, state, and the country which have thus far not been utilized will be distributed to churches and charities for families still in need.Photo by Deborah Clark

THANKING THE GUARD — Wheeler County Commission Chairman Keith McNeal and Wheeler County EMA Director Steve Adams thanked the National Guard for their assistance following Hurricane Helene. Shown, from left, are McNeal, Capt. Emily Morosky, Deputy Officer in Charge (OIC), Adams, and Lt. Col. Chrissy Miner, OIC. The day before the Guard left, Brig. General Amy Holbeck, Chief of Staff, Georgia Air National Guard, visited the community.Photo by Deborah Clark

PITCHING IN — Alamo City Manager Jeff Floyd pitched in to unload supplies at the Command post in Alamo during the Hurricane Helene relief effort. Help came from both inside and outside the county, as locals worked alongside members of the National Guard and volunteers from near and far.Photo by Sandra McNeal