Ed Rynders, Greg Kirk visit storm-struck Worth County

Jan. 28--SYLVESTER -- State Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, and state Rep. Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, had seen images of the devastation before, but Saturday was the first time the two lawmakers visited the parts of their district in Worth County that were hit Jan. 22 by an EF3 tornado that packed 150-mph winds.

The storm left nearly 4,000 of the county's residents without power, forcing the people of Worth County, much like residents in Baker and Dougherty counties whose homes were also hit, scrambling in the dark to pick up the pieces of shattered homes and property.

"What makes Worth County different is that the storm took down big metal transmission lines, and that makes it more difficult to get the power back on," Kirk said.

Worth County Sheriff Jeff Hobby said at least 4,000 homes and businesses lost power.

"We have linemen from at least five different companies working on restoring power as quickly as possible," Hobby said Saturday at a relief staging area at Antioch Baptist Church. "We've got that number down to around 1,000 right now."

Hobby added that the county had yet to come up with a damage estimate, but said that the final number would not include figures for (irrigation) pivots taken out by the storm.

"We have about 50 pivots on the ground in Worth County, and they can easily cost more than $35,000 each to replace," Hobby said.

Rynders said prior to arriving Saturday, he had seen pictures of damage to the county.

"Pictures don't tell a complete story because all disasters are different," he said. "Being here to see the damage firsthand and talk to the people, I am really impressed with the spirit of the people in spite of devastating damage. More than 1,000 people have volunteered to help. Here at this staging area, the women prepare 1,200 to 2,000 sack meals daily to deliver to residents, volunteers and power crews.

"It's really an amazing triumph of the human spirit."

Officials say the county has brought in water buffaloes for people without water.

"We have plenty of drinking water, but out here all of the homes have wells," Hobby said. "Those well pumps depend on electricity, and without power you have no water for flushing toilets and washing up."

Kirk offered praise for Hobby and the Worth County Commission.

"I think the recovery is going well, we appreciate the sheriff and some members of the County Commission for taking the time to spend with us," Kirk said. "Yes, we've been through a tornado in Americus and floods in Albany, but each disaster is unique. Visits like this help us reach a better understanding of each one."

Last week, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for a total of 16 counties and has asked for a similar federal designation for all of them. That list includes Atkinson, Baker, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Colquitt, Dougherty, Lowndes, Mitchell, Thomas and Worth counties.

"Following my conversations with President Trump and FEMA, I'm confident that public assistance for all 16 counties will be approved expeditiously," the governor said. "This approval is critical to the state as well as local communities."

While Worth has not yet been approved for individual assistance from FEMA, Rynders said he hopes it will be soon.

"This is not a decision that will be made by the state legislature," he said. "We are still holding out hope that Worth will meet the threshold for FEMA individual assistance. It's not unusual for them to add counties after an original declaration."

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