About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2020)
6A Friday, October 16, 2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL Be extra careful when exploring dangerous Yonah, expert says BILL MURPHY I The Times View from the top of Yonah Mountain. BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Safety is the main thing when trekking up Mount Yonah, a popular North Georgia attrac tion that made national news this week with a Cartersville woman’s fatal fall. “We’ve had a couple other fatalities across the forest this summer, and it breaks our heart,” said Steven Bekkerus, spokesman for Gainesville- based Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, on Thursday, Oct. 15. “These are places where people ... are putting them selves in harm’s way. This is not Disney World. There are real risks out there.... between the natural hazards in moun tain climbing or hiking along a mountain, or people climbing waterfalls when they shouldn’t be.” The White County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Depart ment of Natural Resources are trying to piece together what happened in the Oct. 13 Mount Yonah incident, said David Murphy, White County’s public safety director. “There is no foul play expected,” Murphy said. “It’s certainly an accident. ” White County Coroner Rickey Barrett said that Jenni fer Randel, 46, was hiking with her husband and son, when she got too close to the edge of a cliff face and slipped over the edge. Mount Yonah and other For est Service recreation areas have been particularly busy this year, with people looking for outdoor options during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bek kerus said. “We’re seeing record num bers,” he said. “At Mount Yonah, (crowds are) over flowing. A lot of these folks ... haven’t been out in the for est before, and so there are hazards out there they aren’t aware of.” But trouble doesn’t just come to novices. “Even people who have been out there before are going out farther and farther and deeper into the forest, and tak ing risks out there,” Bekkerus said. “People need to take care when they’re out there. ... People need to be aware of that and take responsibility for their safety.” The Forest Service has an online tips sheet for people considering a trip into the woods. “Preparedness is the key to having a good and safe time at any of our national forests or grasslands,” the site says. “Before you head out on your next forest adventure, be sure to prepare for any surprises or challenges — wildlife, harsh weather, medical emergency — you might encounter at the forest you are visiting.” Staying close to the beaten path can make outdoors fun safer, as well as “knowing your own level of skill and comfort,” Bekkerus said. “Not every body is the same.” Also important is “knowing where you are at,” he said. “If you can’t tell somebody where you are located, it’s going to be hard to get you that help. ” Hikers also should be wear ing sturdy shoes and carrying needed supplies, such as food, water, pocketknife, flashlight and whistle. USDA extends free meals for students through school year All public school students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch on school days through the rest of the academic year, thanks to an extension of USDA waivers for programs designed to help families struggling financially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs were initially set to run through Decem ber but will now go all the way through June, accord ing to a statement released by the USDA Friday, Oct. 9. “As our nation recovers and reopens, we want to ensure that children continue to receive the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they count on during the school year wherever they are, and however they are learn ing,” Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said. “We are grateful for the heroic efforts by our school food service professionals who are consistently serving healthy meals to kids now.” The extension allows for both in-person and virtual students to continue receiving meals under the pro grams already in place. Parents of students learning remotely can find meal pick-up locations through an interactive map on the USDA website. Nathan Berg Lyman Hall Elementary students eat lunch Monday, Sept. 14. The USDA extended a summer program that will give school- age students free meals through the school year. SCOTT ROGERS The Times THOMAS HARTWELL I The Times A Northeast Georgia Medical Center employee works in the hospital’s mobile COVID-19 unit on Oct. 15. COVID ■ Continued from 1A parties and gatherings and that kind of thing. I’m hop ing a lot of that is having a positive impact.” Delzell went on to say that even though cases have started to flatten out, it is not time for local residents to get complacent. Hall County is still fifth among Georgia counties in COVID-19 cases, behind Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb, and the quickly approaching win ter could cause things to get worse, both locally and nationally. He said that while much is still unknown regarding how colder weather will affect COVID-19 trends, numbers on similar viruses suggest cases could start increasing as the seasons change. “We know we see that with influenza,” Delzell said. “And a lot of people, just because of the similari ties in the virus and other COVID viruses in the past that have followed that, expect it probably will.” Delzell did have some positive news on the treat ment front, where a com bination of steroids and remdesivir - an antiviral drug - have shown promis ing results. A recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine con cluded that “patients who received remdesivir were found to be more likely than those who received placebo to have clinical improve ment at day 15,” and the median recovery time for those dosed with remdesivir was 10 days, as opposed to 15 days for patients given a placebo. Delzell said NGHS doc tors have had similar results, noting that the ear lier patients are treated with remdesivir, the less likely they are to develop more serious symptoms. “We know that it decreases their risk for actually having to go into the ICU and decreases their risk of being put on a ventilator,” he said. “What we’ve found in our hospital is those patients that end up on the ventilator are the ones that really do poorly and are at much higher risk of dying. I think what we’ve seen with the earlier rem desivir is that’s been keep ing that from happening frequently, which has been good for our patients.” Delzell added that while the drug was in “tight supply” earlier in the year, access to remdesivir is no longer an issue, and the health system has plenty to treat all the patients who need it. “As the number of cases overall across the state has gone down, the supply we have available has been better,” he said. “We’ve really, I think, have felt like the state has managed that well and been really sup portive of the way they’ve done that.” NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS TODAY! GO TO GAINESVILLETIMES.COM/ BESTOFHALL TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS. NOMINATIONS WILL BE OPEN FROM OCTOBER 1 THROUGH OCTOBER 31. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! VOTING STARTS NOVEMBER 1 Would your Business like more 4 information obout the contest? Email * mdrketing@gqihesvilletimes.com (Hie (Times gainesvilletimes.com 2020 VIRTUAL ORTH GEORGIA nvn OCTOBER 6,13,20,27 TUESDAYS 9A-10A This year’s North Georgia’s Home Show is going virtual! Join us every Tuesday in October from 9 am to 10 am for speakers, demonstrations and prizes. We look forward to “seeing” everyone! Format each week: • Intro to speakers • 3 presenters each Tuesday, 10-15 minute presentation • Q&A • Prize Giveaway • Close Visit Gainesvilletimes.com/homeshow for more information For more information, contact Megan Lewis at 770.535.6371 or email mlewis@gainesvilletimes.com Brought to you by Events Powered by (The (Times gainesvilletimes.com Honestly local.
