“We couldn’t be more tickled,” said Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Ernie McArthur when asked how he thought our county road department did during the big snow catastrophe.

“It was obvious those guys were doing their jobs and working hard…we had no interruption of service.”

Lt. McArthur said he spotted men on top of Henderson Mountain, a dangerous area, and Monument Road, another high elevation point, on Monday and, remarkably, were able to clear those roads.

The Sheriff’s office, he said, has a ‘severe weather plan’ in place, which includes bringing in additional employees and four-wheel drives. Employees that can’t make it in are picked up and driven to work.

Linda King, the kitchen manager at the jail, was one of those. She did elect to spend one night at the jail, to ensure inmates were fed, but said, “It wasn’t so bad. I had a bed and we have showers.”

Lieutenant McArthur said he wouldn’t have changed a thing to make matters better if another snow disaster comes about. “All’s we got, really, was cold and wet…the road department did a fantastic job.”

Area merchants shared stories of extraordinary efforts to remain open for business.
Bret Stanley, a zone manager at Walmart, said he and four other managers elected to spend the night across the street at the Microtel Inn, four nights in a row, so they could get to work and keep Walmart open.

“One day we couldn’t drive across 515 because of the ice so we hiked it,” Stanley said. The crew kept the store open as many hours as possible with a skeleton crew, closing Sunday night at 5 p.m. and Monday night at 7 p.m. Did they actually have customers to serve?

“People were riding in on four-wheelers, those mule things, and all kinds of crazy stuff” Stanley said. “It was quite a sight….” Walmart customers were preparing mostly for power outages, Stanley said, buying flashlights, propane heaters, firewood, lamps and lamp oil. Some wanted sleds, but they were already sold out.

Kroger Manager Jeff Munger, another local merchant warrior, reported being at the store from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning to help the night crew get stocked up on what they could. The challenge for most was the inability for delivery trucks coming from the Atlanta area to get in.

“Our Monday order didn’t arrive until Wednesday,” Munger said. “285 is the lifeblood to most of Georgia,” Munger said. “We have to have it up and running.”

As for the local road department’s efforts, Munger said,

“I think the local crews did a great job. Main Street was in incredible shape…Old Philadelphia, Old Hwy 5, 53…were all passable.”

Would there be anything he’d do differently to prepare for another storm?

“I think we did everything in our power…I’d hate to play armchair quarterback and comment on road care. They worked very hard and did a good job. “

Munger said he’s ‘a realist.’ “We can’t be prepared (for another snow disaster). They (the road department) can’t stockpile sand, salt and gravel.” Since these disasters happen every 10 years or so in the south, Munger thinks it just has to be dealt with at the time.

Pickens County Public Works Director Greg Collis said, “My hats off to the guys,” referring to the 19 men on the road department crew who started Sunday night at 11 p.m. and worked through midnight Monday. Collis organized day and night crews to “keep everyone kind of fresh” and tended first to roads most traveled by emergency vehicles.

“Our Commissioner did a good thing switching over to four-wheel drive ambulances and fire vehicles,” Collis said.

Could we use more equipment?’ “Always, yes, but it’s a matter of economics,” Collis said. “We try to spend our money wisely.”

Just a few days past the disaster, Collis said his assistant is busy sending statistics to the governor for ‘state of emergency’ documentation. As they carefully monitor the long-range weather conditions, Collis says the moisture conditions point towards a good possibility of another snow storm. Today, January 18, the crews are busy restocking salt and gravel and, as Collins said, “gettin’ready to start on the next one.”