An old Allentown store with a classic sign. Photo by Elliott Brack, 2014.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 15, 2024 | When death and destruction occur from storms like the two recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton though the damage and disruption is great, what is so wonderful is the way people come together to help each other during such times.
Let me tell you what happened out of Allentown, Ga., whose population in 2020 was 188 residents. The area, about 30 miles south of Macon along Interstate 16, is dear to my heart since I was born near there, and spent most of my first five years in Allentown.
My first cousin, Charles Brack, has been mayor of the five-person city council for two years. After Hurricane Helene hit, Allentown dispatched two of its firefighters on alternate days to the city of Hazlehurst, some 75 miles distant, along with its 3,000-gallon tanker truck. They worked 24-hour shifts and were there seven days.
Mayor Charles Brack
Allentown wasn’t the only area sending relief. Hazlehurst Fire Chief Charles Wasdin said there were government-dispatched helpers from 10 different counties assisting there. He was told by Gov. Brian Kemp that the area from Valdosta to Douglas to Hazlehurst was some of the hardest hit in the state.
Chief Wasdin says the storm center was 20 miles east of the city. “Our area was devastated, with 80 percent of the homes having some form of damage. Several buildings collapsed, and we recorded winds of 102 mph, with gusts for three hours. We had five buildings on fire during the worst five days. It’s all calm now. Electricity in the city has been fully restored by Georgia Power. But 48 percent of the homes in the surrounding area, served by Satilla EMC, still two weeks after the storm have no power.”
There were two deaths in Hazlehurst, both from trees falling on mobile homes.
Allentown has a 10-man part-time fire department, one fireman working each day for 10 hours a day. They are paid $200 a day. A major part of their activity is responding to traffic accidents on Interstate 16, which is about 40 percent of their calls.
Besides sending aid to Hazlehurst, Allentown also dispatched six firemen and a truck to Atkinson County (Pearson) one day, and on another occasion sent its tanker truck to replenish water for the hard-hit Augusta area, which was out of water at its fire stations.
When in Hazlehurst, Mayor Brack says, “Two guys from Allentown, one from Cochran and two from Dublin, relieved one of the Hazlehurst fire stations, so that the local firefighters could care for their families.”
Chief Wasdin that the visiting firefighters were fed from grills at one of their stations. “We were feeding about 150 people. That included a few linemen restoring power to the area. It was five or six days before any restaurants could open here.”
Coordinating this relief help from other cities was the Georgia Municipal Group. To pay for these relief workers, money will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Charles Brack says: “I’ll pay our people from Allentown, plus those from Cochran and Dublin, out of city funds, and we’ll eventually be reimbursed.” He estimates the cost will add up to $35,000. The city’s budget is $359,000 a year, with the Fire Department cost being $138,000.
Back to Chief Wasdin: “What really impressed is how the people came together, with assistance from outside the city, and with our own community pitching in. We had many closed roads from trees and power lines down, but had at least one lane open on most roads within a week.” Think of the many chain saws used!
Help came from many places all across the Southern states. And little Allentown helped out.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Follow Us