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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tornado brings out the best in neighbors and community services
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One story we’ve heard little about is how residents came together when the Mother’s Day tornado hit and and the exceptional response from Clayton County’s public safety departments.
According to news reports, Clayton was hit hardest by the tornadoes, which damaged 188 homes and rendering 53 uninhabitable.
“Within the first hour, 15-20 SWAT and special operations officers went house to house trying to make sure everyone was okay and or trapped,” states Police Chief Jeff Turner. “Because those officers had police cars available to them they were able to get there within the first hour, responding from their homes.”
Stagecoach Village resident Vernita Boddie was proud of the response from county officials. “Sonna [Singleton, District 1 Commissioner] helped us figure out things we weren’t even thinking about. Folks went door to door to make sure everyone was okay. The camaraderie in the neighborhood was excellent.”
Commissioner Singleton spent two days assisting residents after the tornado hit. When she wasn’t working at the site, she was at the Emergency Command Center. “We are a strong and resourceful county. We did not have to call on the governor or wait for state assistance to handle our emergency. We took care of our citizens in crisis with our own resources and expertise,” says Singleton.
That expertise came from several Clayton County sources, including Fire and Emergency Services, the Police Department (including SWAT and Special Operations), Search and Rescue Teams (deals with structural collapse of buildings), a Clayton County warden who sent inmates to help with cleanup, Chairman Eldrin Bell and Singleton, just to name a few.
“We have an emergency operations plan in place which has been in effect for several years, and Clayton County was used as a model for the rest of the state,” says Fire Chief Alex Cohilas. “So when the tornado hit at 5:30am, we had the emergency operations center staffed and operational by 6:00am. Every aspect of government performed as they should, right up to the elected officials.”
“I was really impressed with Sonna and Eldrin Bell, adds Boddie. “They chatted with me like they were my personal neighbors, asking what they could do and how they could help. That really touched me.” Singleton put the Boddies (and a few other families) in contact with sources for affordable temporary housing. The Boddie family is able to pay their mortgage, household bills and rent without much of an additional financial burden, thanks to their commissioner.
Clayton’s businesses stepped up as well. Wal-Mart sent more food and water than could be consumed. Home Depot sent volunteers to help with the clean up, and lumber to shore up structurally unsound homes. Dominos brought out pizzas. “The biggest reward was the tremendously positive response of our community. Many just jumped in and worked side by side with firefighters.
Plenty of examples of neighbors helping neighbors. I saw families that lost everything have the most upbeat attitude. Residents scrambled through their refrigerators to get us water, food, anything they had. It was that positive outlook that motivated firefighters and police officers to continue, and they worked 12 hours straight without any relief. It was just a sense of community. It’s the sort of thing that made everyone proud to live and work in Clayton County,” says Chief Cohilas.
All in all, this natural disaster brought out the best of Clayton County, a great cooperative effort between public safety, various government agencies, the business community and the residents themselves.
“You saw neighbors being neighborly. Folks coming out of their homes to help their neighbors collect their belongings and find refuge. It was great to see humanity come out full force,” adds Chief Turner.
Tornado tip from your police chief, “Buy a weather radio in case your power goes out” during inclement weather.
Only three Clayton families affected were without home insurance and needed support from the community and Red Cross.
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