Thumbs Up! Jan. 16, 2017

For many residents of Albany and other Southwest Georgia locations, good news has been hard to come by in recent days.

Or has it?

Total strangers have been seen going up one street and down another, carrying chainsaws and doing what residents, in many cases, could not do for themselves.

Food trucks have been spotted all over town, offering sack lunches, hot coffee or cocoa and bottled water.

Wheelbarrows that haven’t been out of garages in years are suddenly loaded with limbs to be piled at curbs.

A mother/daughter team handed out doughnuts and hot chocolate to volunteers. When asked why, the answer was simply, “Just because.”

Church groups, both from local congregations and from out of town, have cleaned yards, handed out food and prayed with the hurting.

Mission:Change organized a pep rally to demonstrate the city’s appreciation for the hundreds of out-of-town linemen who helped restore power.

Folks fortunate enough to have generators were sometimes surprised when a stranger dropped by to fill up the fuel tank.

The Albany Rescue Mission, suffering a huge loss of income and stored food, continued to serve two meals every day to any hungry person.

Health officials and the American Red Cross sheltered and kept people warm and healthy through some very cold days and nights.

The city imposed a curfew initially for added protection on the streets and in neighborhoods. Law enforcement stepped up patrols in devastated areas.

Restaurants offered a helping hand with meals valued at an estimated $250,000. The Dougherty County Rotary Club furnished pizzas for the Albany Police Department.

Public Works employees cleared roadways as quickly as possible, especially the main routes to the hospital, working long hours.

Within hours of daybreak following the storm, and as soon as he could work his way to the office, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas declared a state of emergency. Emergency Management Director Ron Rowe, City Manager Sharon Subadan, Assistant City Manager Phil Roberson, Mayor Dorothy Hubbard and others held regular meetings and briefings to keep residents abreast of the situation and to make the best use of resources. Albany City Commissioner B.J. Fletcher helped direct traffic.

Volunteers came to what had been the Albany Museum of Art to help remove valuable art collections from the damaged facility. Mike Murphy of Murphy Auto Group made a generous donation to the museum and challenged other car dealerships and businesses to do the same.

Students as young as third-graders at Byne School helped pack sack lunches while older students cleared yards.

Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards pledged stiffer penalties for anyone caught and convicted of burglarizing the homes of storm victims.

Church members took in other members, at times making room where there seemed to be none. Good Samaritan shelters opened all across the county.

Speaking of Samaritans, Samaritan’s Purse arrived in town and provided relief to storm victims.

The SOWEGA Council on Aging began delivering blankets and non-perishable food to seniors and, as soon as power was restored, resumed its hot Meals on Wheels program.

Chehaw offered its Creekside Education Center with activities and movies on the coldest of days. Lane Rosen opened the doors to the State Theater for shelter. Albany Transit provided pickup every 45 minutes daily until 11 p.m. for transportation to the Red Cross shelters at Avalon United Methodist Church and the Civic Center.

The Flint RiverQuarium gave free weekend admission to those overwhelmed by the disastrous week, and Thronateeska Heritage Center offered free respite during the week. Thronateeska offered its archive facilities for drying out and preserving important documents such records that got wet at the Albany Museum.

Employees, both public and private, found ways to get to their jobs even though their own homes were damaged and without power because they knew they were needed.

Many other people have helped and good deeds have been done quietly over the last two weeks. Our apologies to those who were unintentionally missed in this brief recap of extensive activities.

One thing is clear. There really is a silver lining to every cloud, even one as brutal as the stormclouds that ravaged our community. It also provided an opportuntity for good people to step up and do good things, actions that won’t be soon forgotten. It reminded us how big hearts can be, and how strong wills can be.

Thumbs up, y’all!