Prior to committees on Tuesday, Columbia County commissioners thanked staff members for all their hard work.
Chairman Doug Duncan said there were too many people to thank individually and that some people worked 24/7 during the last 11 days.
“It’s been a fantastic effort considering what we’ve been through,” Duncan said. “I’ve heard the multiplier of five, I’ve heard the multiplier of seven times the ice storm. It’s been a very heavy lift. Very proud of staff. Also want to thank Georgia Power too, Stephen King has done a good job of staying in touch with us… Just want to say thank you staff for everything you’ve done.”
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District 1 Commissioner Connie Melear said she heard from state officials that Columbia County did an excellent job handling the situation following Hurricane Helene.
“I know some folks on the state level are very careful about singling out one county being better than others, but I repeatedly heard state leaders tell each other, ‘Columbia County has got it together, they’re the gold standard,'” Melear said. “And I’m so proud to be part of…the team that is able to do what we did.”
David Stewart, the leader of the local Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, spoke about the work they have been doing to help people following Hurricane Helene. He said they have been working with crisiscleanup.org, which is an organization that people can report what help they need, and someone can come help them. For example, a citizen can report a tree down on a fence and someone can come out with a chainsaw and clear it for them. Citizens can visit the website or call 844-965-1386 for help cleaning up.
During the Management and Internal Services, committee members approved appointing Barry Fleming to the Hospital Authority and approved an agreement with EagleView Disaster Response Program. The Disaster Response Program will allow the company to fly over the county and capture imagery of damage done during a disaster. The cost of the flight is $40,320.
Other Columbia County news
Following Hurricane Helene, Savannah Rapids Pavilion (SRP) has been closed indefinitely due to damage sustained during the storm. Cassidy Harris, public relations manager with Columbia County, said a tree fell on the building, which then set off the fire suppression system.
“With the fire suppression system being on for an extended period of time, it caused flooding inside the building,” Harris said.
Harris added that ServePro is working on cleaning, drying out and assisting with the damages inside the building. She added that SPR is part of the Public Facilities bond and renovations will continue, but the timeline is probably going to be moved up. There is no estimated time on when the renovations will occur because the focus is on addressing the damage from Hurricane Helene.
While SRP is closed, staff are working out of the Community Services office. Due to the closure, staff is contacting people with reservations, in date order, to offer the option to either reschedule or relocate the event to the Exhibition Center in Grovetown or to receive a refund, Harris said.
