My bet is that most of you were not ready for the Flood of 2009. Many of you, according to phone calls, e-mails and letters to our office, decided early on who was to blame. Some of you blame the City, some the County, and some of you blame us. All of you blame Mediacom for not keeping your cable, Internet and phones up and running.
Two of my favorite reasons for people getting upset were: Monday the caller said, “I’ve got to get to work and no one told me North Valdosta Road was closed.” The road wasn’t closed until late Saturday evening and was immediately posted on our Web site. He said it should have been in Saturday’s paper ...? Another caller was upset because she had “errands to run” and she needed a map showing closed roads.
Now neither of these people had any flooding at their house, but their lives had been disrupted. It was the newspaper’s fault that order could not be restored — at least for them.
It was encouraging to see the help people directly affected by the flooding received. Friends helped friends, as expected, and strangers helped strangers as reported in our flood stories. These stories always bring with them hope to the reader. Our world has not gone to hell in a hand basket as some people think.
While our flood did not get much or any mention on the Weather Channel or CNN, everyone in South Georgia was following the news of road closures and rising rivers very closely. Our newspaper Web site saw a 159 percent increase in visitors on Monday. During the four-day period starting Thursday, we had 92,814 returning visitors and 38,932 new visitors compared to the same period a week before.
Our staff worked throughout the day and late into the night to keep our Web site and newspaper updated with the latest flood information. This was a big news event for us. For those of you near the rivers, this was a very personal event. All of us have a new level of understanding for the people hit by Katrina or the Red River flood recently in North Dakota. The total loss was much higher there than here, but waist-deep water in your home is the same no matter how severe the devastation.
What we need to learn is to follow our God-given instincts. You should not have to ask, “The water is up to my chest; what should I do?” Did you ever think of leaving?
We have a long history of being slow to move. God and Noah had people problems during the first flood. The rains came and Noah kept telling people to come aboard even as he closed the door.
What we did have this time was people helping people and that alone is worth praying a prayer of thanks.
What We Think
From the publisher: The Flood of 2009: Were you ready?
- What We Think
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Shame in Berrien County
Unfortunately for Sherrie Williams of the Berrien County school-based health clinic, she talked to The Times and praised the program that she oversees. This pride in her work led to the loss of her job.
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Grading policy: A second chance?
In clarifying the Lowndes County Schools’ controversial grading policy, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith spoke of second chances.
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Be up to any weather challenge
Georgia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week starts today and runs through Friday. The idea behind the week is to prepare Georgians for weather emergencies and how to keep these situations from becoming tragedies.
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Parents and schools
There is a lot of talk lately about school systems and grading policies, and how all of a child's problems come back to a lack of parenting. But is it really that simple? Can it be a case where the school systems are so focused on the problem few that the majority of students are ignored?
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Brooks County High School engineering and technology teacher Don Morgan and his students. They recently received national attention for their work with biodiesel fuel. They collect used cooking oil from area fast-food restaurants then process this oil into biodiesel. Morgan hopes to next interest the Brooks County school buses into running on the fuel created in his class. This classroom not only prepares students for the future but may prepare all of us for an alternative energy source.
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Take me out to the ball park
The Valdosta State baseball season begins today. The Blazers host Lindenwood at 2:30 p.m. Nothing beats quality baseball played in warm weather with a great venue like Billy Grant Field.
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What We Think: Signing Day
Wednesday was National Signing Day, the day when high school athletes across the country make official announcements about what school they’ve chosen to sign with.
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School policy fails expectations
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset ...
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Just the facts, please
The Times has taken some hits this weekend following the reporting of the Rev. Floyd Rose’ rally on Saturday concerning the car which drove into a home, killing an infant on New Year’s, and an incident at Pinevale Learning Center. Some police officers think the VDT is not being fair, and Rose accused the VDT of not printing the facts, but the facts are as follows:
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Fathers teaching daughters
It began as a small gathering for fathers and daughters. It has become one of Valdosta’s most popular social events of the year.
Several years ago, Jeff Stewart co-founded the event with his wife, Becky, as a way for him to give a special night to his two daughters. Other fathers of First Presbyterian Church liked the idea and the Father-Daughter Valentine Dance was born. - More What We Think Headlines
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Shame in Berrien County
