By Barbara Augsdorfer, editor for the Effingham Herald
After Hurricane Heléne stomped, blew, and threw a fit through Effingham County and SE Coastal Georgia late last month, those who could, reached out to help friends and neighbors clean up and recover.
Neighbors helping neighbors was a frequent mantra.
But some communities needed more than storm-debris removal. The residents of Countryside Village Mobile Home Park, just off Hwy. 119 in Springfield, were left without water for 13 days.
The park was without power, also, but that was eventually restored by Geogia Power.
Heléne damaged the park’s well pump, which meant the park – home to about 200 residents including single mothers and some senior citizens -- was without water. Repeated calls to the property manager went unheeded, according to residents. The residents were told to “find a licensed electrician” to fix the pump.
“People had been left to suffer for two weeks,” said Trish Nutting, who runs the “Shop Small/Support Local – Effingham, Bryan, and Chatham County” Facebook page.
“We really didn’t know what to do,” said Amber Pitts, a resident of the park.
After getting no help from the property manager nor the Cincinnati, Ohio-based property owner, Lisa Crews, a resident of the park, sent an email County Commissioner Jamie DeLoach Sunday, Oct. 6.
That email unleashed a whole chain of events.
“I was at church, and so I immediately forwarded that email to our county manager (Tim Callanan) and Clint Hodges, our fire chief and EEMA director,” DeLoach began. “And I was like, hey guys, you know, this looks like a really bad situation. What do we do here? That was 9:30 Sunday morning.”
Hodges went to the mobile home park but was unsuccessful contacting anyone in the manager’s office.
“Long story short, Clint got a 3,000-gallon tank of non-potable water over there and a lot of buckets so people could at least flush their toilets,” DeLoach explained. “Then Clint delivered I don’t know how many pallets of drinking water, and the residents were so appreciative.”
DeLoach added that an EPD representative went to the park Oct. 7 in addition to someone to look at the pump. Because the park is private property, there was only so much the county could do, DeLoach said.
“We wanted to get the EPD involved,” DeLoach added.
According to DeLoach, the well was repaired by Tuesday afternoon Oct. 8.
DeLoach added that the cost for the water tank is covered by EEMA and the property owner will be receiving a bill from the county for the pump repair – there will be no cost to the residents.
Residents were so grateful to DeLoach and the ECFR staff, the residents hosted a free thank-you BBQ Oct. 9.
DeLoach couldn’t attend because he was at the Ebenezer charette, but ECFR brought an engine and some of its crew. The neighborhood children climbed aboard the engine, blew the siren; then climbed on the back of the engine to jump off.
All the food was donated friends of the residents and local businesses; use of a grill was donated by Effingham Wingmen MC, in addition to a couple of food trucks – Big Mack’s BBQ and ice cream from Miss T and Mr. B's Sweet Treats; Kristi Slater donated the hot dogs and buns; Lisa Cobb donated cases of bottled water, condiments, and plates. Lisa Cobb and Scarlett Kessler donated supplies and volunteered. Melissa Skipper and Tricia Martin volunteered to help serve food – they work in the kitchen at Marlow Elementary.
Moving forward, the residents have DeLoach and Hodges’ phone numbers.
“You call me,” DeLoach told the residents. “Definitely call me and I will do what I can to help out.”
Pitts said she would drive around the park Monday (Oct. 14) to find out if anyone needs help with cleanup.
Pitts said now the park has drinkable water.
