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Viewpoints
Hurricane Floyd the aftermath
Writers express concerns about the good, the bad and the ugly of the massive evacuation of Georgias coast
Red Cross gets help
Editor:
In anticipation of Hurricane Floyd,
thousands of evacuees from Savan
nah and the coastal area arrived in
Middle Georgia for shelter. The
American Red Cross-Houston-Mid
dle Georgia Chapter was tasked to
provide shelter at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and Agricenter
in Perry for approximately 12,000
military and civilian personnel from
Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Air
field. However, the mission quickly
changed to a civilian shelter that
served over 5,000 evacuees from the
Georgia coast. Florida and South
Carolina who were caught in the
incredible evacuation traffic. The
Perry site was the largest shelter in
Georgia for Hurricane Fioyd. Addi
tionally, the Perry Recreation Center
was used as a special needs shelter
for people with medical problems.
The Houston Middle Georgia
Chapter of the American Red Cross
is grateful for the entire shelter team
who worked so hard and effectively
to satisfy our mission of providing for
the survival needs of our guests:
• Forty staff and volunteers from
the Houston County Emergency
Management Agency and Houston
County Fire-Rescue gave outstand
ing support Chief Jimmy Williams
was on scene 72 hours without a
break, constantly making things
work successfully and coordinating
all supporting government agencies.
Vicki Thompson, Region Four Coor
dinator for the Georgia Emergency
Management Agency, was on scene
continuously.
• Over 30 employees from the City
of Perry Police. Fire, Rescue and Util
ities departments were available on
the scene and responded to support
any request. Police Chief George Pot
ter was on scene constantly, and Fire
Chief Gary Hamlin worked tirelessly.
Staff from the Perry Recreation
Department provided
roundthe-dock assistance in hous
ing the special needs shelter at Rozar
Park.
• The Houston County Sheriffs
] Office, City ui Warner Robins Police
i Department, • City at Centerville
* Police Department and the Georgia
State Patrol provided security.
Over 100 Public Health nurses
from throughout middle Georgia
worked with the -Red Cross in taking
care of the medical needs of the shel
ter.
60 employees of Perry Hospital.
Houston Medical Center and Hous
ton Healthcare Complex, as well as
Summerhill Elder Care provided
medical care and supplies to over
150 individuals at the Rozar Park
shelter. The emergency departments
of Perry Hospital and Houston Med
ical Center provided care to 200
shelter guests. Prescription medica
tions were filled lor free by local
pharmacists.
Thirty-two members of the South
ern Baptist Disaster Relief prepared
approximately 10,000 meals over the
three-day period.
• The staff and executive manage
ment of the Georgia National Fair
grounds and Agricenter gave their
full support of the shelter operation.
• Military volunteers from Robins
Air Force Base and civilian volun
teers from the Family Support Ser
vice, certified by the Red Cross for
Disaster Relief Operations, provided
our guests with direct Red Cross
Disaster services. Military personnel
from Fort Stewart volunteered wher
ever needed.
Fifteen members of the Good
Samaritan Travel Club who were
meeting at the Agricenter volun
teered to serve food during meal
times.
The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit
Authority (MARTA) sent six buses
and 48 drivers to transport shelter
guests back to Savannah/Chatham
County.
Red Cross Disaster Relief Volun
teers. including 10 from the Houston
County Department of Family and
Children Services, provided direct
services to the shelter operation. Ten
volunteers from the Houston Middle
Georgia Red Cross Chapter have
traveled to eastern North Carolina to
assist with the Hood situation caused
by Hurricane Floyd.
Over 300 total shelter team mem
bers provided Red Cross Shelter and
Disaster Services, along with many
volunteers from churches, civic
groups and organizations through-
Houston Home Journal
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry. Ga. 31069
email homejni@hoin.net
(912) 987 1823 (voice) • (912) 988-1181 (fax)
Bob Tribble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
Ellen T. Green Advertising Director
Phil Clark Sports
Joan Dorsett Lifestyles
Torey Jolley News and Classified
Alline Kent Sports
Pauline Lewis Lifestyles
Rob Mead News and Circulation
out our community. This team was
extended the absolute support of
Mayor Jim "Worrall, City of Perry;
Sherrill Stafford, Chairman of the
Houston County Board of Commis
sioners: Mayor Donald Walker, City of
Warner Robins; the Hospital Author
ity of Houston County and Houston
Healthcare Complex. The Houston
County Board of Education approved
the availability of schools for overflow
and was ready to close schools if they
had been needed for Red Cross shel
ter operations. Every local resource
was available to serve our shelter
guests, and we are indeed grateful for
the outstanding state and local gov
ernment support of our Disaster
Operations at the Perry shelters.
On behalf of the American Red
Cross Houston Middle Georgia Chap
ter, thank you to all who volunteered
their time and talents to provide shel
ter for our guests during Hurricane
Floyd. It was truly the most out
standing team I have ever been asso
ciated with in my ten years as Exec
utive Director of this chapter. We are
very grateful for the opportunity to
serve our fellowman. We are especial
ly grateful to all of the support forces
that made the effort so successful,
and, as always. "When help can't wait
"""Tm Pmmsr Guiatfr " ■ ~~
TESTING! TESTING!
NEW 6 OF THE PEATH OF NiY
CANPIPACT 16 PREMATURE.
16 THI6 THING WORKING? .
oAmm
Rambling around Perry - some notes
It’s that time of year again - with a
hint of coolness in the mornings and
the darkness falling a little earlier.
Almost time for children to start
wearing sweaters to school and los
ing them before noon. Almost time
for cats to start waiting at the door in
the morning, bushy-tailed and
purring, hoping to come in from the
cold. Almost time for October lilies.
Almost time to make soups and
stews again. Almost time - if we still
had butane heaters - to find a box of
table matches and get the heat
going. (Well, at least in the mornings.
We all know that it’s going to be
warm by noon!)
Happy October, everybody!
• ••
No dampened spirits
Congratulations to everybody at
Ferry Presbyterian Church. Their
new sanctuary is beautiful, with big
windows to let the sun shine in.
There wasn’t much sunshine during
their dedication service on Sunday,
though. In fact, there was thunder
and lightning and a real downpour,
but nobody seemed to mind. It was
a very happy occasion.
• ••
Well said
I have on hand a copy of Rep.
Larry Walker's charming tribute to
the late Celestine Sibley, which was
published in Georgia’s Capitol
Report last month. Here's part of his
explanation of why the legendary
Charlotte Perkins News and Composition
Paula Zimmerman Bookkeeping
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this
page under the label Our Views reflect the position of the
Houston Home Journal. Signed columns and letters on
this page (and elsewhere in this newspaper) reflect the
opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of this
newspaper.
Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit
letters to 300 words and include addresses and a tele
phone number for verification purposes. Letters are not
published without verification. Letters should be sent to
P.O. Drawer M, Perry. Ga.. 31069 or brought to the news
Page 3A
Wed.. Sept. 29, 1999
... We'll be there!”
Sam Register
Houston County Red Cross
Another Viewpoint .
(EDITOR’S NOTE: In the dasrs
following the Hurricane Floyd
evacuation, some leaders and resi
dents of the Savannah area had
harsh words to say about the relief
centers in Perry.
(After reporting on the story,
members of the editorial board of
the Savannah Morning News draft
ed this opinion piece which
appeared in the Sept. 22 issue of
that paper.)
Perry: We're sorry
Cities who opened their doors to
Savannah-area evacuees deserved
better than an increased crime rate
and rude visitors. The residents of
Periy deserve an apology from
Chatham County public officials,
especially from the Sheriffs Office.
A little more than 10.000 people
live in Perry, a Houston County town
just south of Macon. This week, they
saw their ranks swell by more than a
third as about 3,500 Chatham Coun
ty evacuees sought shelter there irom
Charlotte
Perkins
Home
Journal
Staff
columnist and author was so well
known and well liked in Georgia.
“...She didn't put on airs. She was
strong and assertive but polite and
kind, she was firm but fair. She
always had an opinion but listened
to yours. She was Southern and was
proud of this, but she was always
tolerant and respectful of others. She
knew the wealthy and the well-con
nected and the politically powerful,
but she pulled for the underdog and
less fortunate. Perhaps she was a
saint, but she would not like being
called one. In short, she was a won
derful person."
• ••
Yard Sale woes
Just about every week we get two
or three calls for yard sale advertise
ments after the classified ad dead
line, which is 10 a.m. Monday. Note
that it’s 10 a.m., not noon. We love
to keep Perryans informed about
yard sales, but the deadline’s for
paper office at 807 Carroll St.. Perry.
Our liability lor an error will not exceed the cost of
space occupied by the error.
We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or sub
mitter) materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is
Included.
Our Goal
The Houston Home Journal Is published proudly for the
citizens of Houston and adjoining counties by Houston
Publications Inc.. Perry. Ga. Our goad is to produce quali
ty. profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you.
our readers, arc proud of. We will reach this goal through
hard work, teamwork loyalty and a strong dedication
toward printing the tnith.
Houston Horn Journal
the threats of Hurricane Floyd.
For the most part, this immediate
and massive influx of people posed
no problem at the Georgia National
Fairgrounds and the Agricenter
building, which were turned into
emergency shelters.
But the buses from Chatham
County apparently included a few
trouble-makers.
On Monday, about a dozen
inmates were released early from the
Chatham County Detention Center.
The jail was dealing with about 150
inmates more than it has the capaci
ty to hold, officials said.
The released inmates, jailed for
misdemeanor crimes such as disor
derly conduct and public indecency,
still had a week or so of their sen
tences to complete.
They were dropped off downtown
on Monday to find their way out of
the city.
On Tuesday, another six or so who
had completed their sentences were
released downtown. They too had to
find a way to escape the hurricane
everyone thought was heading for
Savannah.
Chatham County Sheriff A 1 St.
Lawrence says he has no information
that any of those former inmates
real, so please - if you're planning
one - give us a call before 10 a.m.
Monday. Better yet, give us a call on
Friday or Thursday. Why wait until
ground zero?
• ••
Curb Service
Please note that the Health
Department will start giving flu shots
on Monday. They’re offering ”curb
service", so if you have a family
member who would find it easier not
to walk into the Health Department,
all you have to do is go inside and tell
them, and they bring the shot out to
the car. How's that for service?
• ••
Paso Finos
Savannah evacuees weren't only
visitors in Perry last week. The
national Paso Fino Assocation was
also here with their beautiful horses.
Joan Dorsett and I went to the Fri
day night show, and felt like V.l.P.'s
after A 1 Berry, Paso Fino spokesman,
insisted that we have ring-side seats.
We had a great view of the show and
could have reached out and touched
the horses a few times, but - as with
many good things - there’s a disad
vantage. The closer you are to the
ring, the more likely you are to get
hit by the little clumps of dirt kicked
up by the horses. Not that any of the
horse lovers seemed to mind!
were on the public buses to Perry.
Maybe not. But it seems obvious
that some of these folks would walk
the two or three blocks to the Savan
nah Chic Center and get on the
buses there.
Someone in authority, such as the
sheriff, should have notified Periy
and Houston County officials that
some petty criminals may be on their
way.
Nobody did.
So a peaceful little town suddenly
found itself with 3,500 temporary
residents and a few new problems.
Perry Police Chief George Potter said
his residents were reporting car and
house break-ins and other crimes
that normally don’t occur there.
He had no evidence that the evac
uees were directly responsible and
no arrests were made. Still, the
crimes can’t automatically be written
off as coincidences.
To make matters worse, a small
number of other evacuees didn’t
appreciate the hospitality of the com
munity and the American Red Cross,
which set up the shelter. At one
point, they began chanting obsceni
ties at their hosts. Talk about ingrat
itude. It's a wonder shelter officials
didn’t order them to take their foul
language outside and lock the doors
behind - them.
All wasn't perfect in Perry,
Two people running a motel there
jacked up room prices from about
S3O to nearly $l5O They
have been charged with theft by
deception and other price-gouging
accusations are being investigated.
Taking advantage of people in such
circumstances must not be tolerat
ed.
Nevertheless, the citizens of Perry
didn't deserve the treatment they got
from their guests from the coast.
Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr.
is expected to apologize to Perry offi
cials for the problems.
That’s a good start.
Sheriff St. Lawrence needs to add
his regrets for not letting officials
there know that some problems may
be on the way. And why even spring
criminals from the jail, which is built
to withstand bad storms, in the first
place?
Savannah and Chatham County
residents once again may need to flee
an oncoming hurricane or other
potential disaster. A welcome mat in
communities like Perry is much pre
ferred to a slamming door.
The Savannah Morning News
Shelter in a storm
Editor:
I read the article you published
with wonder at the lack of gratitude
displayed by some of the people of
Savannah. I really feel most of the
people from Savannah do not feel the
same as those in your article. 1 know
that you do not want to appear one
sided and, with this in mind, 1 would
like to send you a copy of a letter
that was forwarded to me from the
Perry Chamber of Commerce. It was
a letter written concerning our treat
ment of one of 13 families that we
housed in our executive corporate
apartments at The Hamptons of
Perry during the storm. I am the
property manager at The Hamptons
of Perry. We are a new apartment
complex on the Perry Parkway. My
husband Ron (she calls him Earl in
the letter) and my 70 year old moth
er, Catherine Simons, worked for
three days trying to help the evac
uees. We spent our time (day and
night) caring for as many as we could
fit into the apartments. We offered a
beautiful place to stay, hot coffee
and donuts, and a meeting room
where they could talk out the stress
from the storm. We allowed them to
use our phone to try and contact
family members. We checked in peo
ple at 11:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. due to
the terrible traffic Jams. Thanks is in
order to Colony Furniture rentals in
Macon and Accessories Etc. for
allowing us to use their furnishings
at no charge and this allowed us to
charge a very minimal clean up fee
and put these families in who had no
place to go. One older gentleman was
with his family (The Cummings fam
ily) at the shelter when my husband
went over to get some more people,
and he had a problem with his feet.
He could barely walk and so Ron put
him on the golf cart and backed him
up to the door. When Ron opened the
See LETTERS, Page 4A
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