Community helps Valdosta residents recover from Hurricane Idalia

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Valdosta residents continue to recover from the damage of Hurricane Idalia.

The community is working together to help the residents return to normalcy.

“We know how it is to go through things and to have damage in our house so we came to help around the city so we can get everybody moving again, and get the city running like it used to be,” James Henry, a Valdosta resident, said.

Henry is amongst a host of people in the community who have decided to get out and help their community recover from the hurricane.

Hezikiah Lewis recently moved to Valdosta.

“Anything that I can do to help. Bring water, ice, help move trees. Show them how to fire their stoves up because they have gas stoves to still cook a hot meal instead of throwing away all their food,” he said.

“The city could have done a better job with having the residents ready for the storm especially before and after the storm, they didn’t do a good job with it. What I did notice is a lot of people in the community were doing what they could do to get the driveways back open. So that was a good thing,” Lewis said.

Across Lowndes County in rural communities and on the south side of Valdosta, people are still trapped by trees and debris in their houses and on the roadways. Residents say they have made several calls to city and county officials, but received no actionable response.

“We are still trying to find people to work and cut down the trees because there’s like a lot of trees in the road and we’re trying to find people to come around there but nobody wants to come there to help us,” James said.

Many say they are just happy for the tree-cutting services that have come from different states to help repair the community. For Big Mike’s Tree Cutting out of Orlando, it’s more than just making money, it’s about giving back.

“This is what we do, we help people. We try to build a relationship because it’s not about the money it’s about the relationships with the people and helping the people,” Rick Collins, sales manager at Big Mike’s Tree Cutting, said.

On Friday morning, Big Mike’s removed a tree from the Terrell family’s bedroom where the family was able to escape before the second tree fell on their living room.

“I got a phone call from my neighbor’s phone and it was my wife telling me that a tree had fell on the house. She had got our set of twin girls and ran next door,” Rodney Terrell, a Valdosta resident, said. “I ran home. Literally jumped out my car and run home in the rain. I went straight to my next-door neighbor’s house, I hugged my wife and hugged my kids. I’m still kind of in disbelief.”

Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency is requesting volunteers help in Hurricane Idalia relief. If you are willing and able call (229) 671-2790.

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