Katelyn Umholtz | The Valdosta Daily TimesDr. William Grow of Georgia Department of Health's South Health District presented a public health update on Hurricane Michael.

VALDOSTA — Georgia Department of Health’s South Health District invited local legislators to a public health update this week on the impact of Hurricane Michael.

The South Health District, which is comprised of Brooks, Cook, Echols, Lanier and Lowndes counties, shared how its employees helped communities during severe weather conditions.

“During Hurricane Michael, we were staffing the emergency operation center,” said Dr. William Grow, district chairman. “We were getting calls about what dialysis patients should do when the electricity goes off and how to coordinate health care for nursing homes that didn’t have generators.”

He said health department employees were in close contact with nearby hospitals and had an emergency-management plan in place.

District environmental services were stationed across the area monitoring power outages and the impact on food safety and the spread of disease, said Alex Collins, district environmentalist.

Especially in Tifton, where the water had been compromised Thursday morning, and a boil-water advisory was issued to the public.

Only restaurants with a pre-approved plan stating they would use boiled water were allowed to stay open but Collins said few had a plan in place.

“We got a group of 11 environmental health specialists to meet up with us at Tifton Friday morning,” Collins said. “The plan was to physically go to each restaurant and help them come up with a plan that day that would allow them to reopen and serve food safely. Once everything was said and done, I’m happy to say that we were able to visit every restaurant.”

Collins said about 85 percent of Tifton restaurants reopened Friday, avoiding what could have been a more than $1 million economic impact if the businesses remained closed.

Collins said district employees went to other surrounding counties to help with power outages.

Last year, Hurricane Irma caused the district’s staff to deliver fans to area nursing homes. Luckily, Grow said, they did not have to do this during Hurricane Michael but the district played a crucial part in helping out in any way it could during the severe weather conditions.

Georgia State Sen. Ellis Black and Georgia State Reps. John LaHood, John Corbett and Dexter Sharper attended the public update breakfast. 

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.