First responders, public utilities, neighbors have been incredible

Published 7:54 pm Friday, October 12, 2018

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Hurricane Michael is one of the most disastrous weather events to affect southwest Georgia.

What hasn’t been disastrous is our community’s response to the crisis.

It hasn’t been this bad in our readership’s area as a whole since the flooding of 1994. Now, just as then, everyone who is able has pitched in to help recovery efforts.

Naturally, our public safety professionals have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Many are just now taking the time to eat a full meal, hug their families, and sleep more than a couple hours at the time.

The same goes for the Crisp County Power Commission’s field personnel. The linesmen and management have answered the call time and time again. Now they’re back at it again, in many cases with grins on their faces. We simply have the best in the electricity business working to restore service.

And regular “civilians” have risen to the challenges presented by Hurricane Michael. Before dawn on Thursday, the sounds of chainsaws and heavy equipment were beginning to signal that, wherever it was safe, everyone who could do so was working to clear roads and properties of downed trees.

Hurricane Michael has given all of us a multitude of challenges, but we’re all still here. As always, we will bounce back and ultimately turn these negatives into positives.

In short, we’ll get through this. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick. But, working together, we’ll eventually make it there.