Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140, No. 9 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - $1.00
Monday’s storm devastates county
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
While more than a thousand
families sat in darkness waiting for
their power to be restored, others
sifted through the remains of their
homes and businesses following a
massive storm that swept through
parts of Burke County in the early
morning hours Monday.
According to Amylia Lester,
spokesperson for the Burke County
Emergency Management Agency,
the National Weather Service’s
Columbia, South Carolina office
was in the process of sending a
storm damage assessment team to
Burke County Tuesday to determine
whether the damage was the result of
straight-line winds and/or a tornado.
Either way, the devastation in the
storm’s path was apparent in its
aftermath: the smell of pine from
snapped trees lingered in the air
as people picked up the pieces and
crews worked on downed power
lines.
Power outages in the county
totaled nearly 1,200, with Georgia
Power reporting 67 and the electric
membership corporations, 1,127.
Three state highways, 17 paved roads
and eight dirt roads were closed due
to storm damage. Lester said 59
homes in Burke County received
minor damage and that 39 of those
were mobile homes. Seven homes
had major damage, and one was
completed destroyed. The Augusta
Chapter of the American Red Cross
was providing lodging for five
households as of Monday evening,
and Lester said that number could
increase as time goes on.
“We had approximately four
emergency response calls as a result
of the storm,” she said, adding that
most calls pertained to trees or
debris in the roadways. “We greatly
appreciate the community letting
us know. We have not been made
aware of any injuries as a result of
the storm.”
She went on to say that the Burke
County EMA encourages those
not signed up for CodeRED alerts
to register so that they can receive
warnings during severe weather
as well as other notifications as
necessary. “We also want to thank
our Facebook followers who
shared our information prior to the
storm to make others aware of the
severe weather information and
precautionary measures to take.
Though you can never be fully
prepared, knowing what could
possibly happen helps save lives.”
Farmers across the state came together to help take care of the hundreds of cows at Milky Way Dairy
following Monday’s storm.
State primary delayed to June 9
SALLY KATE BLACKBURN
In the early morning of Monday,
April 13, tornadoes swept the
South and made their mark across
many communities like Burke
County. As the sun came out, so
did the resulting damage. This
meant the start of long days
cleaning up pastures, fields and
bams for greatly affected farmers.
This was the case for co
owners Beryl Landis and Kevin
Martin of Milky Way Dairy. This
predominately Holstein cattle
operation located off of Highway
25 has been in operation since
1988. Both men were awoken to
the reality of fallen trees, escaped
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
The Burke County Public Schools
System has halted its meal delivery
services for two weeks after two
employees tested positive for
COVID-19.
In a statement on Saturday, BCPS
said in conjunction with guidance
from B. Lamar Murray Public Health
Center, school officials are being
proactive in protecting the public
from COVID-19. “Through contact
investigations, two confirmed
cases of COVID-19 have been
identified. Potential exposure may
have occurred around April 1st or
later. Upon the direction of DPH,
The Burke County Public School
cows and a milking facility
that was ruined by the storm.
Decisions in the coming hours
were to be made quickly as these
routine-driven animals would
need milking soon. To ensure
safety and promote normality
for the cows, Landis and Martin
called upon cattlemen in the
surrounding areas to aid them in
the transportation to dairies close
by. Men and women from across
the state answered that call for
help.
Scattered on the property
early that morning were families
collecting debris, directing trucks
and offering any assistance
possible. They rallied around the
System has decided to suspend all
activities while further investigations
are on-going.”
Amy J. Nunnally, BCPS public
information officer, said schools will
be shut down and no meals will be
delivered during a 14-day period and,
after that time, the situation will be
reevaluated.
A local grocery store also
announced this week that one of its
employees had tested positive. W. Lee
Flowers and Company said Monday
the Waynesboro IGA consulted
with state and local health experts
after learning of the employee’s test
results. “We reinforced our cleaning
and sanitizing protocol, and, with the
support and encouragement of the
local health department, the store
dairy and all the people behind it.
Trailers waited in long lines while
children of the various families
pitched in to pass out water and
greet drivers. Cows were loaded
and sent to unload only to come
back and repeat the process.
As word of the disaster spread,
calls of response from across the
state poured in. Strangers offered
trailers, excavators and working
hands. By the end of the day,
475 head of cattle were moved
to dairies near Milky Way and 46
loads of debris were hauled off.
“We had even more trucks than
we needed,” Landis said. “It was
incredible.”
the rise
remains open,” the statement said.
“As more cases are likely to occur,
we’ll continue to take precautions
and actions to keep our stores and
other facilities clean and ensure the
safety of our employees, customers
and communities following the
protocols from our own health
experts and relevant federal, state
and local authorities. We are in close
communication with the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), as well as other health
organizations and have plans and
procedures in place. Health and
safety are our top priorities, and, as
we’ve said before, we
want any employee SEE
who is not feeling COVID,
well to stay home. 7
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
Due to concerns over the
coronavirus, Georgia’s primary
election scheduled for May 19 has
now been postponed an additional
three weeks to June 9.
Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger announced the
decision last week following Gov.
Brian Kemp’s extension of the state’s
public health emergency status to
May 13. Voter registration for the
state primary will now be extended
to May 11 with early voting set to
begin May 18.
This also marks the second delay
in the state’s presidential primary
after an original March 24 date.
Ballots cast during the early voting
will still be counted, says Laveme
Sello, executive director of Burke
County’s Board of Elections and
Registration Office, and those who
already voted will have a ballot with
just local and state races. She also
said that Raffensperger’s office is
sending absentee ballot applications
to every Georgia voter and that
requests for mail-in ballots that
have already been sent will still be
valid to receive an absentee ballot
for the June 9 election. Requests for
BEN PALMER
In 1854, more than 1,000 residents
of Savannah died in an epidemic of
yellow fever, the second of three
deadly outbreaks in the coastal
community during the 19th Century.
Yellow fever was a scary and
mysterious disease bringing on a
sudden and painful death. Early
symptoms included chills, followed
by a fever, back pains and jaundice
(yellow-green tint to the skin) which
gave the disease its name.
After uncontrollable hemorrhaging
from the mouth, nose and stomach,
death often soon followed. In all, 650
people died in Savannah from yellow
fever in 1854.
What added to the terror was a
lack of understanding as to how
the disease is spread. It wasn’t until
1902 that the American Health
Association designated the Aedes
aegypti mosquito as the cause of the
fever. The mosquito transmits the
virus into hosts who then developed
the fever.
mail-in ballots should be made by
May 29. Sello reminds voters they
must choose between a democratic
or republican ticket in the primary,
but when registering to vote, they
are not required to pick a party. “The
only time a voter has to make that
choice is during a primary election,”
she said.
The state primary in June will
determine who will serve as the
county’s sheriff as well as the
District 5 county commissioner.
Incumbent Sheriff Alfonzo Williams
is joined on the democratic ballot by
challengers Wayne Scott and Xavier
Wimberly. Since voters participating
in the primary must choose either
a democratic or republican ballot,
Republicans living in District 5 will
have to decide if they want to vote
for the sheriff’s race or the one for
their commissioner, since the two
in that race are on the republican
ticket. Those seeking the seat include
incumbent George DeLoach and
political newcomer Art Lively.
Two other commission seats are up
for re-election: District 1 incumbent
Lucious Abrams and Ronald Reed
wi 11 duke it
out for the SEE
Democratic STATE PRIMARY,
nod, and the 3
There is now a vaccine available
to prevent the disease.
During the Savannah yellow
fever outbreaks, some wealthier
coastal residents who could afford it
travelled away from the coast to ride
out the epidemic.
Two Savannah brothers were
among those who sought refuge
with Burke County relatives from
the 1854 epidemic.
Joseph H. Burroughs and Rev.
Benjamin Burroughs took up
residence at Bath in Richmond
County, a resort-like area located
southwest of Augusta and northwest
of Waynesboro. Several planters
from Burke County owned summer
homes in Bath.
It is likely that the two brothers
stayed in the Bath summer home of
their Berrien kin in Burke County,
probably John Whitehead. John and
his brother, Dr. James Whitehead,
owned extensive g ^ ^
Burke County
property along YELLOW FEVER,
Brier Creek 8
COVID cases on
Early epidemic also took
its toll in Burke County
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