On Thursday, September 26th, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 Hurricane. That night, it quickly moved across the state of Georgia, leaving a path of devastation the Georgia State Parks Division has never experienced before. Days in advance, park operations began to lean forward and make ready to be as prepared as possible. Park Rangers across the state put the hurricane preparation plan into place by fueling vehicles and equipment, lowering lake levels, clearing out ditches, sharpening chainsaws, and evacuating 7 key sites that were predicted to be in the path of the storm. The division braced to protect the natural, cultural, and historic resources, but more importantly to protect staff, volunteers, and overnight visitors.
As we began to assess the damages, Georgia State Parks Director Angie Johnson’s first goal was to know that every staff member was safe. Within 48 hours, all 950+ employees were accounted for. The damage to the resources, however, was huge.
Park Rangers from around the state sprang into action as soon as the skies cleared. In joint efforts with Game Wardens in the Law Enforcement Division and Wildlife Techs in the Wildlife Resource Division, strike teams removed large trees from critical infrastructure for these facilities to be used by first responders and power crews. At one point 25 sites were closed and 40 were without power. The sites with catastrophic tree loss and structural damage were Mistletoe, Elijah Clark, General Coffee, George L. Smith, Jack Hill and Magnolia Springs. Major structural damage was done to 25 cottages, 3 park residences, 18 group/picnic shelters, 4 visitor centers, and more than 400 campsites. No sooner was the state clear of Helene than preparation began for the 2,000+ Floridian evacuees seeking refuge in Georgia State Parks from the path of Hurricane Milton.
Staff and volunteers evacuated to areas that were not predicted to be in the path, but Helene took a turn and veered east at the last minute, leaving them displaced and trapped. DNR Strike Teams worked quickly and diligently to clear roads to get staff out so they could go back to see the devastation at their home parks. Strike teams continued their heroic work cutting trees off roads to free those trapped in cottages and campgrounds. Park Managers, Site Managers and all Field Staff worked long days running chainsaws, dragging debris, in bucket trucks sawing trees off campers. As each park re-opened, Park Rangers took great pride in hoisting the stars and stripes (see picture). Today only four parks remain closed. Park Rangers and Leadership are working strategically to restore these operations so they can safely re-open in the next few months.
As recovery efforts continue, Director Johnson quotes “There was a visible, immeasurable, amount of pride in each Ranger and their Teams, as they worked to clean up the mess that in some cases was overwhelming. When I saw the resiliency and the look of determination in their eyes, it made me so proud as I know every other Park Manager, Site Manager and Park Ranger across the state had the same commitment to bring their site back to normal operations safely and quickly”. As the first National Park Service Director, Stephen Mather, said, “If there is a job to be done….send a Ranger”…and because we did, Georgia and her people are better off because of it.
