VALDOSTA – Valdosta and Lowndes County have transitioned from the response phase of Hurricane Idalia to the recovery stage.

Lowndes County and Valdosta officials held a press conference Thursday afternoon to address residents’ concerns and to give updates on the Hurricane Idalia aftermath recovery plans.

Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes said the county and city have officially ended the response phase and transitioned to the recovery stage of Hurricane Idalia.

Dukes along with Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk shared their gratitude to community and emergency management partners for their assistance in preparations for the inclement weather.

“The reason we are able to stand here today is because of the efforts of all these people. As bad as the damage was and as much damage as we’ve seen, countless lives were saved,” Paulk said.

Idalia’s fury did not leave the city nor the county unscathed. The hurricane reached speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour and wiped thousands of residents’ services from power, to wifi and cell phone signals. Hundreds of trees were pushed to the limit leaving multiple roads blocked and homes destroyed.

One fatality was reported Wednesday after people were cutting up a fallen tree blocking Bemiss Road. One other person was injured in the incident.

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson took the podium on behalf of Valdosta City Council, extending deepest sympathy to those affected by the disasters and shared his gratitude to all first responders.

He urged residents to allow the responders adequate space to clear roadways and debris from affected areas by refraining from driving on blocked roadways.

Motorists should only drive when necessary and treat all nonfunctional traffic light intersections as four-way stops.

Residents were asked to keep neighborhoods and property as tidy as possible. They are expected to not mix any yard debris and bulk items. City crew workers will not pick up mixed items and a charge will be added to the person’s account.

“We urge everyone to use extreme caution around any leaning trees. We strongly advise against removing any trees that are leaning toward or on power lines. We are working diligently to make sure that everything is restored and back to normal as soon as possible,” Matheson said before Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter took the podium.

Slaughter said county employees are still assessing the situation to determine the extent of the damage. Approximately 75 to 80% of Lowndes County customers are without power.

Lowndes County has enacted its debris and removal contracts and residents should move debris to the right-of-way but residents should be on the lookout for potential scammers.

“Law enforcement is working several cases in Lowndes County in which scammers have offered to clear trees and debris for large sums of money. Do not engage with anyone that is not a licensed contractor,” Slaughter said.

Dukes followed by stating, “Not only do we have the insurance commissioner’s office working on that, we have our local law enforcement, our local code enforcement and others. Please know that if you come into our community and you intend to take advantage of our citizens financially or otherwise, your actions will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”

Reports show people entering private property areas claiming they were sent by the City of Valdosta or Lowndes County to help with debris, and some scammers have shown documents to residents that appear to be legitimate.

Dukes said all approved contractors will have a placard to be issued by the city or county and the county will work to prevent any price gouging for cleanup services.

A resident must call 911 in the meantime if they encounter a scam. A hotline will be established in the near future for reports.

Tarp and water point distribution stations will be open around the county Friday, Sept. 1.

Officials advise residents to monitor EMA Lowndes Facebook for location information to be announced Thursday evening.

No estimated timeline for full recovery was shared. Dukes said, “Georgia Emergency Management is present. We have every available state resource that can currently be here at this time helping to get that information together. The biggest thing that citizens can do to help us is continue to stay off the roads.”