The City of Hinesville is putting together plans to handle the next big storm.
City Manager Kenneth Howard presented council members with an after action review following Hurricane Helene, which knocked out power throughout the city and Liberty County. And city leaders also are looking at how they can better help residents when such items as food and water run scarce after a disaster.
Howard and city council members extolled the work of the city’s departments and staff, including the police and fire departments and ESG, the city’s pubic works provider.
“They responded in a way that I was impressed,” Howard said of city and ESG staff. “This was unprecedented in the City of Hinesville. We had not seen anything of this magnitude in the terms of power outages.
“We did have a lot of destruction in the city,” he added. “We are cognizant that we respond to help wherever it’s needed.”
After tropical storm force winds uprooted trees, downed power lines and knocked out traffic signals, more than 9,000 homes in Hinesville and 15,000 homes in the county lost power, Howard said.
Meanwhile, the fire department divided the city into quadrants and sent out seven teams of fire fighters. Four teams concentrated on removing trees to clear roads, giving emergency vehicles safe access, and the police department put 18 additional officers on duty, staggering their start times to relieve those who were on duty an extended amount of time. It also allowed the police department to put officers directing traffic at several key intersections where traffic signals were knocked out.
“It was imperative and important we had control at these intersections,” Howard said. “We had a plethora of areas we had to address and our officers responded accordingly.”
The city never lost water service, Howard added, and the city also has suspended disconnecting water service for lack of payment.
“We decided this was not the time to do that,” he said.
Public works and sanitation crews were out in force the day after the storm, and garbage pickup continued without any disruption.
“Right after the storm, they were out,” Howard said.
The city collected 20 loads a day of yard debris in the storm’s aftermath, and the yard debris collection contractor will start on October 14, assessing and removing yard debris caused by Helene.
As a result of the storm, the city sheltered 53 households, with 63 adults and 39 children, at a cost of $8,400.
“We try to respond when folks are in dire straits,” Howard said.
The city also is reaching out to the faith-based community to devise plans for shelters and for distribution of needed items.
“We cannot do this alone,” Howard said. “The faith-based organizations offer a wide variety of expertise and capabilities. I feel like that is very important. They have people who live here and are engaged here.”
With potential partnerships, the city is looking at expanding its efforts to include a disaster relief contingency fund and to set up distribution points, along with informing the community where to get good and shelter.
“We’ll look at everything,” Mayor Karl Riles said. “I think this is a jumping off point. We saw lots of citizens in action and we’re thankful for that. But if we can give them a little more help, that would lessen the burden on some of our citizens.”
Sharon Slater, who administers the local Liberty County Community Facebook page, and others, including Council member Jose Ortiz banded together to deliver food and water to those in need until their own resources were exhausted. She also thanked police Chief Tracey Howard for providing hard-to-find coolers and ice.
“Something incredible happened — we came together as a community,” she said. “We saw so many families struggling without food, power, water and basic necessities. The heartbreak was real. While we wish we could have done more, our donations ran out. It broke our hearts we could not continue providing for them.
“This community spirit should not just surface in times of tragedy. It’s something we must nurture daily,” she said.
Ortiz said that he heard at least once at each of the stops they made “I did not know where my next meal was coming from.”
Mayor Riles said the storm and its aftermath gave the city an opportunity to find where to do better with taking care of its residents.
“We’ve reached out to the school system, the county, the municipalities, the churches, our partners. Those things have begun happening to make sure we know what will we do when it happens again,” he said. “It’s a matter of when, not if. We will be prepared for that.”
Riles offered his praise for the city staff and for the linemen from power companies who worked long hours to restore power to homes and businesses.
“City staff, many of you were without power, just like everybody else. We made the decision to open on Monday and our services did not stop here in the city,” he said. “I want to commend you for that. Council members, you did a phenomenal job representing the city. You represented your community and you represented your community very well in the crisis.
“I can’t forget Georgia Power and Canoochee (EMC) — can’t forget the linemen. They came and risked their lives to make sure we got power back. There are no words that can describe the pride I feel for my hometown and how we have come together to take care of each other. We are a community that lifts one another up and thank you for being a part of it.”
Council members offered their praise for the city’s staff in its efforts, especially since the storm changed its projected course and brought more of its effects to Hinesville than anticipated.
“I think we’ve come together as a city,” said council member and Mayor pro tem Vicky Nelson. “I think we got through it pretty good. We have a great mayor. I believe, Mr. Howard, you are doing a great job. We helped each other. And that’s the way it should be all the time.”
Howard said each and every one of the city’s staff and departments “did a tremendous job.”
“I say to my colleagues all the time I have the best team in the state of Georgia,” Howard added.