Mattress storein Valdosta, GA

LOWNDES CO. – The latest updates regarding the aftermath and recovery of Hurricane Idalia from Lowndes County Emergency Management.

Release:

Hurricane Idalia Release #08-9/04/2023-1pm

Lowndes County, Georgia: Lowndes County has experienced significant damage from Hurricane Idalia, and relief and recovery efforts have begun. On behalf of Lowndes County Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye, here are the latest updates regarding Hurricane Idalia.

FEMA

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has made the required request to President Biden with regards to Lowndes County being declared a major disaster. “All emergency and major disaster declarations are made solely at the discretion of the President of the United States.”-www.fema.gov.

Lowndes County Emergency Management has not been provided a timeframe during which the President will make a decision.

If Lowndes County (Valdosta, Hahira, Lake Park, Remerton and Dasher) is declared, an online portal and a Disaster Recovery Center will be set up for citizens to apply for assistance.

As of now, there is no need to report individual damage to Emergency Management. Damage assessment teams have spent the past three days cataloging damage reports to compile the information needed by both the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

As soon as Lowndes County Emergency Management is notified of the President’s decision, a community-wide announcement will be made.

SAFETY

Most fatalities and injuries happen after severe weather events. We encourage all citizens to practice chainsaw safety. When operating a chainsaw, it is important to wear proper protective clothing and glasses, choose the proper size of chainsaw to match the job, operate, adjust, and maintain the saw according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and check around the tree or pole for hazards, such as nails, power lines, or cables, before cutting. Be aware that trees may continue to fall over the next several days.

Roads, streets, and bridges across the community have been damaged. DO NOT DRIVE AROUND OR MOVE BARRICADES.

POWER

Power company personnel continue to work around the clock to restore power. As of now, approximately 10% of customers in Lowndes County are without power. Citizens are encouraged, for safety reasons, to refrain from attempting to address utility lines themselves. Downed lines are very dangerous and should be considered live until addressed by power personnel.

Citizens should exercise caution as generator use continues. Generators should be housed in a well-ventilated area, not an enclosed area such as a garage. Also, please make sure power cords are not left in standing water. Follow manufacturer suggestions for operating generators. If using a generator, make sure your main breaker is turned off. If someone has not turned the main breaker of the home or business off so that the location is isolated from the grid, the generator could send power beyond the location and injure or kill the utility worker trying to restore power.

If you are using, a major appliance such as an oven and your power goes out. Make sure you turn the appliance off so that it does not come back on automatically when power is restored.

DEBRIS REMOVAL

For the residents in the unincorporated area of Lowndes County, debris removal contracts have been activated. Residents should move debris to the right-of-way. The right-of-way will be cleared as quickly as possible. Do not place household garbage with yard debris. If you live within city limits, please contact your city for instructions on debris removal. City of Valdosta residents should make sure yard debris is cut down to four-foot sections so that the city’s equipment can pick it up.

Private subdivisions should deposit all yard debris in one central location. It will be collected via coordination with private subdivision HOA representatives.

Tree and debris removal contractors are telling residents that FEMA is required to remove their yard debris. FEMA does not provide direct services to include debris removal. Yard debris will be removed by local government services regardless of whether Lowndes County is declared a major disaster area.

DAMAGE AND REPAIRS

If your home or business needs repair, please make sure that anyone working on your property is a licensed contractor. Licensed contractors should be able to provide a copy of their occupational tax certificate (business license), proof of insurance, and a contract that outlines the work to be done, cost, and a time by which the work will be completed. A reputable contractor should not ask for payment upfront. There is no indication that there is going to be any financial or FEMA assistance at this time. Citizens with damage should contact their insurance agent for directions on obtaining estimates. Renters should contact their landlords. Anyone without insurance is private pay. Criminal Investigation teams from Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, John King’s office, are in Lowndes County investigating reports related to price gouging and/or construction fraud. For more information, visit: https://oci.georgia.gov/press-releases/2023-09-01/insurance-commissioner-king-deploys-staff-valdosta-response-hurricane?fbclid=IwAR0WU4xOtp6zi6OR8UpAVCF343A4OaAMSDcgmHj-5_MbvLiPbFMd-zi-F64

Crisis Cleanup has activated a private property, property debris cleanup, and home repair hotline for residents who need assistance cleaning debris from private property. The hotline number is 1.800.451.1954.

VOLUNTEER

Lowndes County Emergency Management is coordinating recovery efforts with a multitude of volunteer organizations operating within Lowndes County. Citizens who need assistance are encouraged to contact the Emergency Operations Center at 229-671-2790 during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and provide information on what type of assistance they may need. Representatives at the Emergency Operations Center will work to match the appropriate agency that is best suited to meet their specific needs. Any volunteer groups who have not contacted Lowndes County Emergency Management are encouraged to reach out so they can be added to the list of available resources.

VALDOSTA – Wild Adventures Theme Park is offering free admission for first responders, utility workers, and residents of Hurricane Idalia FEMA assistance counties.

Release:

Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia is offering complimentary admission this weekend to first responders, utility service workers and anyone who lives in a county eligible to receive Hurricane Idalia public assistance from FEMA.

“Hurricane Idalia had a significant impact on our community and was devastating for many Florida and Georgia families,” said Adam Floyd, director of sales and marketing. “This weekend, we want to offer those families an opportunity to get away from the aftermath of the storm and create some positive memories with each other.”

Wild Adventures’ Hurricane Idalia Recovery Weekend is this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24. To receive free admission, first responders and utility service workers can show proof of employment such as a paystub or work ID at one of the park’s ticket booths. Residents of counties eligible for Hurricane Idalia FEMA assistance can present proof of residency such as a valid driver’s license or utility bill.

Georgia counties eligible for this offer include: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Thomas, Tift, Ware, and Wayne counties.

Eligible Florida counties include: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla counties.

For more information about Hurricane Idalia Recovery Weekend, including frequently asked questions about the offer, visit WildAdventures.com/HurricaneIdalia. Parking is $18 per vehicle, per day.

Wild Adventures’ Hurricane Idalia Recovery Weekend coincides with the opening of the third annual Great Pumpkin LumiNights and Pumpkin Spice Festival. Hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns transform Wild Adventures into a family-friendly holiday event, featuring towering tigers, gigantic giraffes, super-colossal spiders and more–all made of pumpkins. The Pumpkin Spice Festival features fun and unique foods with everyone’s favorite fall flavor: pumpkin spice.

New this year at Great Pumpkin LumiNights is the LumiNight Legends Pumpkin Gallery, which features 150 intricately carved pumpkins featuring famous Georgia places, faces and more. The gallery was created by master pumpkin carver Jim Morey.

Great Pumpkin LumiNights and the Pumpkin Spice Festival continue Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Oct. 29 and are included with park admission or a Season Pass. 2024 Season Passes are on sale now, and individuals who purchase before Oct. 29 will get the rest of 2023 free.

For information about Hurricane Idalia Recovery Weekend, Great Pumpkin LumiNights, 2024 Season Passes and more, visit WildAdventures.com.

Wild Adventures Theme Park is located at the halfway point between Atlanta, Ga. and Orlando, Fl. off Interstate 75 and is home to more than 35 family and thrill rides, hundreds of exotic animals, dozens of concerts and special events each year and Splash Island Waterpark, named as one of the “Top 30 Waterparks” in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Wild Adventures is ranked as one of the Most Affordable Theme Parks in America by Travel + Leisure, one of the Top 10 Most Affordable Water and Theme Parks in the U.S. by AOL.com and the Top Theme Park Deal in Georgia by Yahoo! Finance. In July, Wild Adventures was ranked as “The #1 Theme Park in Georgia” by TripAdvisor.

WASHINGTON – FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to Lowndes, Cook and Glynn counties in Georgia.

Release:

WASHINGTON — FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Georgia to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Idalia on Aug. 30, 2023.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Cook, Glynn and Lowndes counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency work, including direct federal assistance for public assistance, damaged by Hurricane Idalia in Cook, Glynn and Lowndes counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Judy M. Kruger has been named Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621- 3362 or by using the FEMA APP. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

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Sewage spills aren't just a problem because of the mess they create, water preservation groups say it could potentially cause health problems. The city of Valdosta reported two sewage spills in the last month.

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — Sewage spills aren't just a problem because of the mess they create, water preservation groups say it could potentially cause health problems. The city of Valdosta reported two sewage spills in the last month.

The WWALS Watershed Coalition says recent water tests from the city showed high e-coli readings after several spills.

John Quarterman, the Suwanee River Keeper for the WWALS Watershed Coalition, is concerned about several recent sewage spills in the city of Valdosta.

"At least one of those said it may have been because of a rain event, there wasn't rain for all of those," said Quarterman. "Which makes me wonder are they having more spills than they're reporting or are they having more spills than they know about."

Quarterman said the concern is for the bodies of water it potentially effects.

"It's bad for people, it's bad for wild life, it's also bad for the economy. Valdosta is trying to be a place for ecotourism, and you're not really helping that if you have sewage spills, if you have trash in the creeks and rivers," Quarterman said.

Brad Eyre, director of utilities for the city of Vldosta, said the sewage spills are caused by outdated infrastructure.

"We've had this one collapse on highway 84 and another collapse right next to it back to back," Eyre explained. "We had a couple repairs on the other trunk line, which is an old concrete line and we've had two issues with that within a year."

Eyre said it would cost $19 million to replace two trunk lines, and expects overall repairs to cost around $50 million over the next few years.

"The end goal is to replace the aging infrastructure that's not suitable anymore for sanitary sewer conveyance," said Eyre.

Quarterman said his organization recently met with the city to raise concerns, including not getting sewage spills reports quickly enough. He says even with some issues still needing to be worked on, there has been an improvement.

"There have been a number of things they've done better lately, they don't have as bad or as frequent spills as they used to. The ideal number however is none," Quarterman said.

Eyre says the city is applying for grants to help offset the cost for repairs to the sewer system.

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VALDOSTA — Multinational retailer Walmart announced Wednesday that it will build a milk processing facility in Valdosta.

The announcement was made by the company and by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp shortly before the Valdosta-Lowndes County Economic Development Authority met to approve the memorandum agreement with Kingfisher Holdings LLC to make the new facility happen.

The facility will be built on Inner Perimeter Road. Officials predicted the construction will create more than 3,800 jobs and the facility itself will employ almost 400 people.

Adam Bradley, the senior director of Business Development at Walmart Manufacturing, told Wednesday’s EDA meeting that he and his team visited local farms Tuesday and Wednesday morning sharing the plans of the facility. He said the farmers were excited that they will now have options as to where their milk will go.

“Walmart is excited to be here,” Bradley said. “This has been a long time coming. It’s nice to get it out in the open. Your team here has been rock stars working with the local community. You’ll love the product coming out of the plant. It’s going to be a class one fluid milk facility. We will process products for both Walmart and Sam’s Club so the Walmart Great Value label and Member’s Mark labels. You’ll really appreciate the quality of the milk coming through here.”

He was accompanied by Glen Wilkins, the senior manager of Public Affairs and Government Relations for the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Greg Nunn, the director of Indirect Tax at Walmart, and Andrew Egan with Kutak Rock.

The facility’s groundbreaking is tentatively planned for November followed by the opening in late 2025. Walmart will be hiring for positions in production, engineering, quality, food safety, warehouse operations, maintenance and drivers.

“There’ll be a lot of jobs in this plant. It’s also highly automated. We’ve got robotics that’ll be in this building,” Bradley said.

The dairy facility will be located on Inner Perimeter Road creating almost 400 new jobs and $350 million in investment in Lowndes County. The average wage for the project and the facility is approximately $30 per hour, according to EDA Executive Director Andrea Schruijer.

“Valdosta-Lowndes County is a prime location for Walmart Manufacturing Dairy Facility because of Georgia’s strong agriculture community. They will be able to source their Walmart materials within our region. Projects like this add quality jobs, capital investment and add to our economy and that’s why we (the Valdosta-Lowndes County Economic Development Authority) exist,” Schruijer said following the meeting.

She said this project will affect Valdosta-Lowndes County’s economy in two forms. The construction phase is expected to create 3,878 jobs with a total of $550 million economic impact.

About 838 new jobs will be created at the facility following its opening, Schruijer said. That includes the 390 jobs at the plant plus any direct or indirect jobs that they would create, she explained. It will result in a total $373 million economic impact.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp shared comments in a press release announcement early Wednesday morning.

“We’re excited that Walmart will soon tap into Georgia’s No. 1 industry and open new opportunities for farmers in the Lowndes County area,” he said. “Congratulations to all those on the local and state level whose hard work made this announcement possible. We look forward to many years of success as this project further strengthens our thriving agriculture industry.”

City of Valdosta and Lowndes County government officials were also present for Wednesday’s EDA meeting.

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson said, “We are proud that Walmart has selected Valdosta as the home of its new food production facility. This project demonstrates the economic strength of Valdosta and Lowndes County, and it will provide tremendous job opportunities for our community and the entire South Georgia region.”

“Lowndes County is thrilled that Walmart has announced they’re building a new state of the art facility in our community,” Chairman Bill Slaughter, Lowndes County Board of Commissioners said. “This exciting opportunity will not only bring new jobs and investment to our community, but it will also stimulate growth and innovation throughout the region. We look forward to partnering with this dynamic company to build a better future for all who call Lowndes County home.”