Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
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Sept. 16
The Telegraph of Macon on how the area responded to Irma’s devastation:
Hurricane Irma will not be soon forgotten, nor will Middle Georgians response to its devastation. Due to advanced planning, the storm’s fury was contained as much as humanly possible, and while some in Macon are just getting their electricity service restored, the Herculean job by Georgia Power and its partners, Macon-Bibb County personnel, first responders and everyone who played a part in the preparation and execution of the disaster plan has to be recognized.
According to Macon-Bibb County, on Monday, there were 55,000 homes and businesses without power, 212 roads closed due to downed trees, power lines or other debris. There were more than 250 intersections with inoperative traffic signals either from being bashed by high winds or not having power.
By Friday afternoon, 49,387 homes or businesses had their power restored; 209 blocked roads were cleared and all but one intersection had functioning traffic signals.
Obviously, for some, help did not come quickly enough, tons of food had to be tossed and there was enough inconvenience to go around. Certainly, communications - and nerves - were a bit frazzled and some things don’t seem to make sense, drawing questions such as, “Why does my neighbor have power and I’m still sitting in the dark?” The answer can be complicated depending on what grid each home is serviced by or what transformer took a hit.
The delays weren’t because the power company wasn’t prepared. Georgia Power had more than 1,400 crews and contractors working in Middle Georgia from as far away as Pennsylvania as the storm approached Monday. More crews arrived from Alabama Power on Wednesday. But for just a moment, let’s ponder a more global view of the damage Hurricane Irma heaped on Georgia.
By the time Irma hit Middle Georgia it was hurricane no more but a tropical storm and at the peak of it, Georgia Power had almost 1 million customers without electricity in the state. And not to use the term “perfect storm” incorrectly, but power companies were dealing with the aftermath of not one, but two huge storms that hit Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia all within a span of two weeks stretching manpower and materiel.
That said, there are a few lessons we can take away from these storms. One lesson is age old, but must be taught again and again. Fortunately, it wasn’t a lesson learned the hard way locally, but some victims of Hurricane Harvey forgot flood waters can rise quickly and the powerful current can wash vehicles - and them - away.
We were constantly reminded not to touch downed power lines, and for the most part those messages were effective. The storm should have also reminded us of the old Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.” We are sure to stock up on flashlight batteries, candles and water and other necessities before we need them. And finally, there was the lesson of what to do if a traffic signal is inoperative or blinking? Do not go cruising through an intersection without stopping first, treat it as a four-way stop.
All in all, Middle Georgia showed its heart. We opened up our homes and city to visitors, some of whom are still with us because there is nothing for them to go home to. Others remained as they sorted out their next move and how to make that next move happen.
The fact that we are recovering as fast as we are takes team work, and when all is said and done and the final report is unpacked, we believe our grade will be stellar, not just for those who had to implement the plan, but for those neighborly Middle Georgians who could only offer a welcoming smile, a helping hand and a thank you to the power crews that came to the rescue.
Online: https://www.macon.com/
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Sept. 12
Savannah Morning News on Irma reaching south Georgia:
Savannah and coastal Georgia and the South Carolina low country dodged a bullet as Hurricane Irma, which only days ago brought death and destruction to the Caribbean and parts of Florida, delivered a diminished and glancing blow by the time it reached south Georgia.
Instead of direct hit, the area suffered through machine-gun steady rain and blustery winds - much like a typical summer Southern thunderstorm. The worst areas were some lower creekside and marsh-front neighborhoods, along with U.S. 80 to Tybee, which suffered from predicted flooding due to the Irma-related storm surge.
But fortunately for now, the worst seems to be over. Residents are encouraged to stay positive, and informed, as the post-Irma recovery phase kicks in.
Only a few days ago, experts were worried that Irma, a Category 5 storm and one of the most powerful ever measured in the Atlantic, was making a beeline for Savannah and the Savannah River basin. This pessimistic forecast prompted Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to declare a state of emergency in the state’s coastal counties that were the most exposed to this potentially deadly threat. Last Thursday, Chatham County was then placed under a mandatory evacuation beginning Saturday morning.
Many residents rightly heeded the call to get out of town, although it’s unclear how many actually left compared to those who chose to hunker down after seeing the more favorable storm track. Some even left a few days earlier, not wanting to get stuck in outbound traffic on I-16 and I-95. Many reasonably decided, when Irma was still a Category 5 storm, that this was one of those times to be self-driven and not to trust the government, and to be better safe than sorry. Besides, hurricanes are notoriously fickle.
And while some evacuees may feel that the governor possibly jumped the gun and acted prematurely, Mr. Deal made the responsible decision to call for an evacuation, based upon the best, most trusted information he had at the time.
This is not the time to play Monday morning quarterback about the timing of the evacuation. Instead, it’s time for everyone to count their blessings. It’s also time to pray for people who live in the hard hit areas of the Caribbean and South Florida. An estimated 9 million people in Florida are without power and won’t be eating a hot meal or taking a hot shower for some time. Georgians have no room to gripe.
Instead, for now, it is possible to praise a number of people and groups for their efforts before and during Irma’s arrival:
. Chatham Emergency Management Agency Director Dennis Jones. On Jan. 1, this year, the county named Mr. Jones the head of this key agency, charged with protecting citizens during natural and man-made emergencies. Until then, this important post had been vacant since 2015, when the last CEMA director retired. Mr. Jones earned his paycheck during Irma. He seemed on the ball. It was an improvement to have someone as CEMA’s go-to guy, as opposed to the agency’s uneven performance during last year’s Hurricane Matthew, when too many officials seemed to be doing the talking for CEMA, creating considerable public confusion. Mr. Jones, however, did stumble when asked where people should evacuate to, after Irma took a turn to the west . He seem flustered, as officials had earlier urged Chatham’s evacuees to go west and north, not knowing that such a route would take them into Irma’s path.
. CEMA itself earned some laurels. The agency appeared to do a much-improved job in the run-up to Irma’s arrival in this area on Monday, presenting a united front and holding more frequent press briefings and doing a better job of sharing important information with the public. Did CEMA do everything perfectly? No. Information shared through social media was spotty if not incorrect at times, such as information distributed about what kind of storm surge the county could expect with a Category 3 hurricane. This made no sense, as it came after most experts had already predicted the storm would pack a much smaller punch by the time it got to this area of Georgia. CEMA’s after-action report should include an item calling for more accurate and timely information shared through social media.
. The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and Chatham County Sheriff’s Department merit praise. Local law enforcement officers and sheriff’s deputies were visible and appeared to be out in force to maintain order and to cut down on potential looting. The imposition of a curfew Sunday night seemed well- timed and added to the public’s peace of mind. Sheriff John Wilcher, who also runs the Chatham County Jail, may have had the best quote of the entire Hurricane Irma drama: “You’re going to have to adhere to (the curfew) or you’re going to be a guest in my bed and breakfast.”
. All utility crews who worked to maintain and restore power during and after Irma deserve pats on the backs. It’s impossible to over-estimate the importance of power during times of hardship.
. All employees in the public and private sectors who rode out the storm at home - so they could continue to report to work through the weekend and early this week - should be singled out for praise and for their sense of loyalty. The businesses that remained open, even if only for abbreviated hours, included supermarkets, convenience stores, a few smaller businesses and a handful of bars and restaurants. Their customers appreciated them and will remember their extra efforts during a time when much of Savannah was closed for business.
Returning to normal
Next comes the return to normalcy, which is seldom easy or seamless.
It’s important to stay positive during this period, and to remain mindful and thankful that this area dodged a pretty awful bullet.
Fortunately, the transition to normal after Irma should be easier than after Matthew, which clobbered this area, knocking down forests of trees and toppling power lines.
For now, it appears that Irma’s clean-up should not be as extensive as post-Matthew.
That would be a major blessing, as it would mean less cost to the public and a speedier recovery time.
As thousands of evacuees soon begin the long journey home, they should thank their lucky stars that they have homes and businesses to return to - and that they have power -unlike residents in areas that Irma hit head-on.
Online: https://savannahnow.com/
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Sept. 13
The News of Brunswick on recovery after Irma and how mandatory evacuation was warranted:
Hurricane Irma came through with a vengeance, wreaking much more havoc than many people were expecting.
When the storm shifted west, many residents figured the bulk of the danger followed it. Some of them decided to stay, figuring riding it out at home was the better option.
It wasn’t.
Trees fell on homes and broke power lines, and wind threw debris everywhere. Even worse, a record-breaking storm surge neared 7 feet and dumped flood waters into homes throughout the Golden Isles.
It quickly became clear as we surveyed the damage why Glynn County emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Thursday afternoon, calling for people to get out of harm’s way a day earlier than Gov. Nathan Deal had ordered.
We agreed with the decision, and are even surer it was the right move in Irma’s aftermath.
All involved in the process of managing the response to a storm like Irma deserve kudos. Their decisions may not be popular with everyone, but they have to be made for the good of the community. Coming home to a neighborhood with sewage backup because of lack of power to lift stations or a home filled with water from storm surge can be dangerous. So can driving where power poles are dangling by threads over roads.
Even more life threatening - the structural integrity of bridges not built for the type of abuse Irma gave them. The short bridge over Dunbar Creek on St. Simons Island, for example, is closed because it may have not fared well after feeling Irma’s wrath.
The scariest part, we were on the edge of the storm, getting tropical storm-force winds during much of the event as Irma raged on over Florida as a hurricane before downgrading as the eye entered Georgia.
So when emergency management officials tell us to evacuate, this is why we should heed the warning.
Those same officials seem to have learned from Matthew that a united front and a common message is the best way to inform the public of what is being done to recover and why they can or cannot come home immediately. Ensuring that all roads and bridges are safe, that public utilities are ready for action again and that people returning will not be in danger is paramount to a successful recovery. Providing information in piecemeal fashion can be confusing and may not be provide the proper context for the decisions being made.
This year, information may not have come out as often as during Matthew, but what was given was more complete and informative.
As Jay Wiggins put it at a press conference Tuesday, “If you look around, I am surrounded by a lot of people. That’s the reason we are being so proactive, because we are working as a team - really as a family - here in Glynn County.”
We may still be waiting for that most important piece of information, when everyone can come home, but rest assured that the emergency management folks are doing their best to make it safe to bring their own families home with you.
Online: https://thebrunswicknews.com/
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