Chris Cohilas, Oosterveen family make plea for storm help

ALBANY — As Albany residents continue a slow recovery following a devastating winter storm two and a half weeks ago that ravaged parts of the city, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas joined an Albany family on national news Thursday in making a plea for federal help.

Cohilas, who was in Washington, D.C., Thursday meeting with U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue to discuss potential federal aid to help relief efforts in Albany and Dougherty County, was joined via Skype feed by the Oosterveen family at the Albany Dougherty Government Center on the daily HLN Network program “On the Story with Erica Hill.”

According to Cohilas, the purpose of the HLN segment was to bring national attention to the storm, which many believe has been underreported on the national level, and thereby spur more action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

During the interview, Cohilas told host Erica Hill that the area is in dire need of federal help as insured and uninsured damages continue to escalate and families, like the Oosterveens, still can’t return to their homes.

“Right now we need action from FEMA,” Cohilas said on air. “We need them to declare a state of emergency. I have a lot of people, the (Albany) mayor (Dorothy Hubbard) has a lot of people, that are hurting really bad right now. We have people that have massive uninsured losses, and insured losses, that are just devastating.

“What we have is a lot of very, very poor people that live in Albany-Dougherty County, Georgia. We have a median income of $28,000. A lot of folks don’t have the resources that you or I may have to deal with something like this.

“It’s really, really sad, and because of the disaster they’ve been displaced and they’re having to live with friends and family members who may not have the resources as well.”

One such family that is now living with relatives is the Oosterveens. Dana, Casey and their two sons, Charlie, 6, and Wade, 2, are currently staying with family as they wait to find out when they might be able to return to their home which, along with their vehicles, was crushed by trees the night of Jan. 2.

“We’re not really sure how long we’ll be displaced, but we’re staying with family right now,” Dana Oosterveen told Hill. “It’s pretty unreal. We woke up the next morning to what looked like a bomb went off in our little neighborhood, and many of our neighbors are in this same situation, if not worse.”

Despite her family’s personnel struggle, Dana Oosterveen expressed her concern for families that are less fortunate that might not have the needed resources or family support that her family has.

“Lots of people are staying in hotel rooms with their children or with family and, unfortunately, there are some people in our city that don’t have those resources because they did not have insurance and they are in a bad way right now,” she added.

Like Cohilas, Oosterveen praised local and state officials but also expressed a need for federal support in light of the widespread destruction.

“We could not be more proud of our local government and state government, but the magnitude of what’s happened in our city goes beyond the scope of what local and state government can handle,” Oosterveen told the host. “We are just not equipped to handle the catastrophic level of what’s going on here. So, we would love the opportunity, and we are crying out so loudly, for FEMA to come and help our city collectively.”

When asked by Hill about the progress that’s been made with leaders in Washington since the storm, Cohilas spoke highly of his reception from congressmen and also frankly about where things stand with FEMA.

“Right now, we’re in a waiting period,” he said in the interview. “We asked the (Georgia) governor (Nathan Deal) for his attention, and he requested and expedited a declaration from the president. For some reason, things have been hung up for a minute. That’s why I’ve been here in DC — to leverage our relationships with our senators, our congressmen who’ve been very helpful with trying to get some answers from FEMA.

“This is going to be a very prolonged recovery process, and we have to have the federal government come in to help.”

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce also took action Thursday to raise awareness of what happened in Albany and to invite the state’s business community to support relief efforts.

Through a media release, the Georgia Chamber pointed out that, “Albany experienced a horrific storm, including at least eight tornadoes and two damaging hurricane-type wind events” creating devastation covering 132 square miles. The release states that 30,000 households were initially without power and that some are still without, and that “over 450 families have been displaced.”

“As a state, it is our responsibility to stand united with one another and help our fellow Georgians in need,” said Georgia Chamber President & CEO Chris Clark in the release. “If you’re able to influence media, please share this information using the hashtags #AlbanyStrong and #HelpAlbany.”

The Chamber release also encouraged anyone who wanted to help people affected by the storm to contact the Emergency Operations Center for Albany at (229) 483-6214 “to coordinate the delivery of resources and donated items.”