Government Officials Tour Douglas and Coffee County to Survey the Devastation from Hurricane Helene

A large group of state and federal government officials have toured Douglas and Coffee County to assess the significant damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The officials have visited different parts of the city and county, carefully listening to updates on the ongoing recovery efforts and the challenges being faced.

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, U.S. Representative Austin Scott, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, Georgia Senator Carden Summers, Georgia Representative Clay Pirkle, Georgia Senator Blake Tillery, Georgia Representative James Burchett, GEMA Director James Stallings, and and Georgia Ag Commissioner Tyler Harper came together at the Coffee County Emergency Operations Center to meet with local officials. During the meeting, Governor Kemp engaged directly with emergency personnel, delivering crucial updates on the state's response efforts and attentively addressing officials' concerns. Governor Kemp assured officials that there would "be a full state response working with the federal, especially on the ag side".

Representatives from U.S. Senator Warnock's office, including Chief of Staff Mark Libell, Deputy State Director Kristen Fulford, and Southwest Outreach Representative Adrian Rivers, toured Douglas and Coffee County on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. While visiting, they met with County Chairman Jimmy Kitchens, Mayor Tony Paulk, EMA Director Steve Carver, County Administrator Wesley Vickers, and City Manager Charlie Davis to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Coffee County and Douglas. The officials assured that resources for the recovery efforts would be made available to the residents of Coffee County.

On Thursday, October 10, 2024, Israel Consul General to the Southeast U.S. Anat Sultan-Dadon, Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns, Georgia Senator Russ Goodman, Georgia Representative Clay Pirkle, and Georgia Representative James Burchett, along with County Chairman Jimmy Kitchens, Mayor Tony Paulk, EMA Director Steve Carver, County Administrator Wesley Vickers, and City Manager, toured areas devastated by Hurricane Helene in Douglas. The presence of international support, as seen through the visit from the Israeli Consul General to the Southeast U.S. Anat-Dadon, shows the global concern and willingness to assist in recovery efforts.

The road to recovery may be long and with challenges, but with the united efforts of local, state, federal, and international bodies, along with the unwavering spirit of our community, Douglas and Coffee County will recover from this disaster.