Clearing the way; Volunteers save county on clean up

County manager Brandon Rogers discussed the tornado that hit part of Pike on Jan. 12 at the Jan. 31 commission meeting and thanked the many who helped clean up in the aftermath of the storm. He said without volunteers and people who helped with heavy equipment, the county would still be paying to get the mess cleaned up. He noted that only one invoice of around $700 was submitted to the county for countless hours of work to clear roads and power line access areas. Rogers said many of the commissioners and the county manager all showed up to help clear trees and debris as well.

“I’d like to thank everyone who had a part in helping out with the tornado cleanup. Without their help, we would still be working on this today,” said Rogers. “First of all, the fire department, led by Bobby Wilkerson, and the Emergency Management Agency, led by Jim Totten, put in a lot of effort and a lot of hours. They did an outstanding job. Volunteers showed up and worked out of the goodness of their hearts, on their own time and on their own dime. The sheriff’s department did an excellent job like they always do and when Spalding County’s E911 Center went down, they had to direct calls to our 911 center. Those guys did a great job and it’s amazing they were able to keep up with what was going on with limited resources. There were individuals who helped out the night of the storm and for the following three to four days.”

“We had quite a few people who worked all through the weekend. I’d like to thank everyone from the fire department, sheriff’s office, ambulance service, E-911, EMA, Pike Public Works, Express Sanitation, Pike Pools, 3D Rolloff, Hammond Sight Services, Hurts Trucking, Double P, Goodman Grading, Flanders Nursery, ACs Lawn Maintenance, Smiths Enviro Recycling, Stewarts Tree Service, Jason Mask Company and Brannon and Sons Mobile Equipment Repair. He noted that at one point when the public works equipment went down, there was other equipment right behind them to finish the work they had not yet completed. “Everyone who helped did this out of the kindness of their hearts and wallets and if it was not for their help, we would still be in a mess. Each person who helped is one of the reasons this county is what it is and we all love living here.”

Commissioners Tim Guy and Jason Proctor and chairman Briar Johnson also thanked all those who helped with the clean up process.