HELPING HANDS: Baldwin Co. shows love to surrounding communities following hurricane

Published 7:00 am Sunday, October 6, 2024

During the last several days, Baldwin Countians, including first responders, have reached out to help neighboring counties tremendously affected by Tropical Storm Helene. 

Glascock and Jefferson counties sustained significant damages in the devastating storm and hurricane-force winds. Wind gusts exceeded 74 mph.

Thousands of residents in Glascock and Jefferson counties have been without electricity for several days and some of them could still be without it for another week or two, officials said.

Baldwin County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Paul Adams said he and Baldwin County Emergency Management/Homeland Security Agency Director Wayne Johnson along with Baldwin County commissioners-elect Andrew Strickland and Scott Little got together this week to see what they could do to help neighboring counties.

“We all decided that since we had been spared by the grace of God from the hurricane, we needed to do something to help our neighbors,” Adams told The Union-Recorder in an interview at fire headquarters Wednesday morning. “Wayne reached out to his EMA counterparts in an attempt to figure out what the real needs were in several surrounding counties. As me and Wayne, Chief [Victor] Young and Scott Little and all talked, we knew we had to do something. We couldn’t just sit back and say, ‘Hey, we dodged the bullet,’ we’re great knowing that our neighbors to the east of us are really hurting and needed our help.”

Working together as a group, with the help of many others in the community, they immediately began a community drive to collect items to take to Gibson in Glascock County and to Louisville in Jefferson County.

Within less than a day, a couple of trailerloads of canned food, snacks, drinks, pallets of bottled water, diapers and toiletries had been collected from caring, compassionate residents in Baldwin County.

Strickland said Scott Edens and his wife Heather of Fouts Fire in Milledgeville donated 14 pallets of bottled water. Zschimmer & Schwarz, another company in Milledgeville, donated two pallets of bottled water.

Strickland, who works as a flight paramedic for a medical helicopter company, told the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners at Tuesday night’s meeting that he had flown around south Georgia and driven to surrounding counties that were heavily impacted by the storm.

“It was devastating,” Strickland said. “The story for Baldwin County fortunately is the heart of Baldwin County. People have come together and donated so many goods. I’ve seen Deputy Chief Adams and Deputy Chief Sheri Kneip and all the (firefighters) load up trailers. They inventoried stuff. Chief Adams’ daughter was over there inventorying different supplies. Chief Adams was trying to figure out what the needs are from Wayne Johnson.”

He described the collaboration as a beautiful thing.

Strickland said he has seen troops with the Georgia National Guard Army standing with inmates from the Jefferson County Correctional Facility in Louisville handing out water and ice to families that did not have any.

Curt Flournoy, owner of Chick-fil-A in Milledgeville, provided free dinners to local firefighters.

“And over $5,000 has been donated to different institutions, including religious institutions, to purchased goods,” Strickland said. “Baldwin County has come together in a way that is heartwarming.”

He thanked everyone who has given.

Baldwin County Commission Chairman Johnny Westmoreland noted Tuesday that he was out of the country when Helene hit.

“I hope y’all realize, we missed a bullet,” Westmoreland said. “I came back from Canada and drove back through North Carolina, South Carolina and part of Georgia and it’s bad. It’s real bad.”

The commission chairman thanked Baldwin County residents who have worked so hard during the storm.

Westmoreland also commended Johnson.

“I talked with Wayne several times while this was going on,” Westmoreland said.

He also commended Colin Duke for his dedicated services. Duke serves as the county’s EMA assistant director. Westmoreland also commended Jason Kidd, the county’s waterworks director, Jimmy Davidson and Josh White, for keeping the county’s water and sewer services going during the storm.

He also thanked Darrell Nelson for leading the county’s roads and bridges department staff through the storm.

The county’s road crews were aided by deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in cutting and clearing trees.

“I want to thank everybody who volunteered or did anything else during that time,” Westmoreland said. “And remember there are a lot of counties that are still in dire straights.”

Adams said the donation drive exceeded what had been expected.

“We’ve got some the best citizens in the world,” Adams said. “We’ve never had a need in this county where the citizens of this county didn’t step up and do the right thing when they were called upon.”

Baldwin County Fire Rescue Lt. Nathan Cole said it was truly heartwarming to be part of a humanitarian effort to help neighboring counties.

“It makes you feel good when you know you have helped someone,” Cole said. “It makes you realize that we’re all fighting different battles every day.”