ALBANY -- Some stories are better told late than never, and I believe this one needs telling. For those who constantly sit around the campfire and rant about "Mr. Green Jeans” and how they never do anything but give tickets, you would be surprised to learn about a few other things they have recently been doing.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Georgia Department of Natural Resources personnel have been spread out across southeast and northeast Georgia providing public safety and clearing local and state roadways of debris, making them passable, as well as removing debris from roads on state parks and other properties. DNR’s field crews included strike teams (equipped with chainsaws) and task force teams (equipped with chainsaws, skid steers, backhoes, and other heavy equipment). Under Gov.
Brian Kemp’s leadership, DNR began mobilizing for Helene on Sept. 25. DNR staffed multiple employees at the State Operations Center in Atlanta to ensure coordination of the response by state, local and federal agencies.
Internally, DNR established two Incident Command Centers, at Social Circle to service the north Georgia response and Metter to service the response in south Georgia. Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on the state, DNR crews immediately mobilized and deployed to storm-affected areas. At daybreak on Sept.
27, teams began. clearing roads and ensuring citizen safety, concentrating on the most affected areas between Valdosta and Augusta. Once county requests.