Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Visits Tornado-Ravaged Areas

(TNS) – Gov. Brian Kemp toured first-hand the aftermath of the tornado that hit portions of Milledgeville and Baldwin County Sunday morning.

He held a press conference in the parking lot of the Baldwin County Emergency Management-Homeland Security Agency to discuss the damage and the response.

The governor was joined by First Lady Marty Kemp and members of his staff.

Before the press conference, Kemp met with elected officials from Milledgeville City Council, including Mayor Pro-Tem Steve Chambers and City Alderwoman Shonya Mapp, as well as Baldwin County Board of Commissioners, including Chairwoman Emily C. Davis and Commissioner Kendrick Butts. Milledgeville City Manager Hank Griffeth and Baldwin County Manager Carlos Tobar also attended the event.

“First of all, I just really want to say thank all of the local and state folk that have been responding behind me,” Kemp told reporters in the parking lot of the Baldwin County EMA. “It’s been an incredible state and local response that we’ve seen not only here, and throughout the last few hours or days, but also over in West Point and Troup County.”

The governor visited that part of the state on Monday afternoon.

Kemp said he saw the same response in Troup County, a lot of neighbors helping neighbors.

“I just cannot thank the surrounding counties for responding here and on the west side of our state,” Kemp said. “Obviously, our state partners did a tremendous job, really getting on the scene very quickly after the storms came through.”

He recognized the Georgia Emergency Management-Homeland Security Agency for spearheading the state’s help to local officials in Troup and Baldwin counties.

“I want to thank Maj. (Scott) Deason with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office,” Kemp said. “Sheriff (Bill) Massee couldn’t be with us this morning, but I was communicating with him over the last hours too to make sure that their needs were being met.”

Representing the Milledgeville Police Department at the press conference was Chief Dray Swicord, as well as Maj. Linc Boyer.

Kemp also recognized Baldwin County EMA Director Wayne Johnson, who along with Colin Duke, the assistant EMA director, provided around-the-clock assistance to local government officials.

The governor also recognized several state agencies involved in helping officials in Milledgeville – Baldwin County and Troup County including Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, Georgia Forestry, Georgia Department of Transportation, as well as local law enforcement agencies, and the Chain Saw Strike Team.

The governor also thanked the state’s private sector partners, such as electrical power companies.

“We certainly want to thank them for what they’ve been doing on the ground,” Kemp said. “They’re working, as you can see around town, very hard right now to restore power and get people to some sense of normalcy.”

Kemp and the First Lady also visited officials with Atrium Health at Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin.

“We took a quick tour and got to see the damage there,” Kemp said. “They’re managing very well under the circumstances. They obviously had roof and water damages that they continue to work on. Their private sector partners have been on the ground 24-7 as well, and helping restore order at the hospital.”

The governor also mentioned that a state facility that was damaged in Milledgeville, the Georgia Youth Development Center, which is located near the Baldwin County Health Department.

“The Department of Juvenile Justice got hit,” Kemp said. “I know (the interim commissioner) and her team are working hard to get the fence repaired and other things. “But we’re starting to see normal operations there.”

Kemp also informed everyone there that the National Weather Service in Peachtree City had confirmed that the tornado that hit portions of Milledgeville and Baldwin County was an EF-1.

“It was an EF-3 on the west side of our state,” Kemp said. “And obviously, you can see from the damages around town, we had winds that were in excess of 100 mph.”

During a briefing before the governor’s press conference EMA Director Wayne Johnson said there were 20 homes and 10 businesses damaged. One of them was a mobile that was completely destroyed on Downs Street in the city.

“We’ll continue to work with GEMA and our federal partners on response and potential aid depending on qualifications as we continue to do the assessment,” Kemp said. “The main goal right now is keeping everybody safe, and we’re helping our private sector partners in the local governments restore normal operations with power and emergency response.”

The governor vowed to have state agencies on the ground for as long as needed in both Troup and Baldwin counties.

“From a state perspective, that’s why I immediately did the state of emergency to allow the state resources to act very quickly and respond not only here, but also in West Point, Ga.,” Kemp said.

©2023 The Union-Recorder (Milledgeville, Ga.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.