ATKINSON — Following a rainy and dreary weekend, the Hwy 82 Brantley fire is now, as of Monday, 75 percent contained.
The evacuation zones and curfew have been lifted, while roads around the county begin to reopen. Meanwhile, the Red Cross shelter in Brunswick has closed down. The efforts have now begun to shift from active disaster mitigation to recovery.
These recovery efforts included a multi-agency information center, which was held Saturday, May 2 at Atkinson Elementary School. Fire victims could meet with various governmental and non-profit groups for information and support.
These agencies included Emerge Ministries, Red Cross, Mtn2Sea Ministries, Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Department of Public Health, Department of Family and Children’s Services, Samaritan’s Purse, Family Connection, GEMA, Salvation Army, United Methodist Response, Brantley Board of Commissioners, Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, Changing Homelessness Veterans, and UNISON.
According to Chuck White, Director of Emergency Management for Camden County, those managing disaster relief must, at some point, determine “when in the life cycle of a disaster do you have this type of meeting.”
“It’s been a rolling fire,” White said, “that has made it difficult to push in all resources in all areas.”
He described Saturday’s meeting as “well-received”, and as “an emotional release” for the victims who attended. This type of meeting is common in a major disaster, White added.
“When first responders start to draw down, you’re left with the community impacts,” he continued. “Some people are not always made whole again, but we want to try and get them back as close to normal as we can.”
White went on to explain the Brunswick Red Cross shelter was shut down since there were no requests for shelter. He specified this was because people have found shelter with their families or local churches.
Agencies and individuals from neighboring counties have been involved in the disaster aid and recovery process virtually from the beginning. This, according to White, is in part, due to a need for people not personally impacted by the fire to be involved. It is also in part, neighborly mutual aid.
“I’m working on behalf of Brantley County, and the citizens of Brantley County,” he concluded.
