Crisp County EMA Director says Tropical System Sally response a ‘success’

CORDELE, Ga. – Remnants of Tropical System Sally hit the area overnight, leaving behind road closures, power outages, debris and some downed trees.

And after spending most of Wednesday prepping for whatever effects Sally would bring, Crisp County officials say their efforts were rewarded.

Sheriff Billy Hancock

“When the National Weather Service last night said that there could be 4-6 inches of rain it was all hands on deck for awhile and everybody was ready for that 4-6 inches and we received exactly that. Some parts of our county had 3 1/2, some had four, some had six but overall we performed, and the men and women in this community performed well,” says Crisp County EMA director and sheriff Billy Hancock.

Hancock says throughout the night, city and county workers were out assisting with a variety of issues brought on by the tropical system.

“We had a 27 mph gust at one point and a 47 mph gust recorded at another point and that knocked some power out for our citizens and during the overnight hours we had a timeframe where we were getting about five inches of rain per hour.”

Overall Hancock says the county and city’s response was a “success.”

“It shows the work we did prior to the event and our operations center with all our players and partners here in the county responded well, took care of the issues with drains and ditches the might have trash and things in them. So it’s reiterating to the people that we need to make sure that we clean up around our area and our personal property.”

While no significant weather is expected through the day, Hancock says residual flooding of creeks, streams, and low lying areas will exist throughout the day and into tonight.