County Mayor reflects on winter weather response
Recent icy conditions have surprised Anderson County residents, including Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.
“We’ve never seen anything like this kind of ice; it’s crazy,” she told The Courier News. “Here in the South, we’re used to a snow, and then in a day or two it’s gone, and we’re running full-speed ahead again. With this weather event, we did get some melting, but that actually made it worse as it then became a layer of ice.”
She said shoveling and scraping hasn’t always helped, and in many Anderson County areas the ice was thick.
She thanked Anderson County and other local staff and elected officials who had helped people through the winter conditions, listing the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, city police departments, the various fire departments, Anderson County Rescue Squad, Emergency Medical Services and dispatch.
“While many of us can stay safe at home, staying off the roads to keep the main roads open for emergency personnel, a lot of folks still have to do the work to keep everything going,” Frank said.
“The animals at our shelter still have to be cared for, people still need to get groceries, we have water lines that break, and we need supplies,” she said. “The list is really, really long of people who I’m thankful for who brave the conditions to help keep us safe.
“Anytime I’ve seen a bad event in our county, I end up seeing so much good as people come together and help each other.”
Frank mentioned a person on hospice care in a remote area of the county who lacked the ability to leave due to snow and ice. A nurse had said that the person was out of wood or coal for the furnace.
“Commissioner Vowell and his wife Christy were able to connect with a gentleman who runs a tree service, and he not only generously supplied the wood, but made the hard trip there to deliver it,” Frank said.
Another example she gave involved a 911 call for a heart attack on the morning of Friday, July 19. Due to snow and ice, Anderson County EMS ambulances could not get to the location. One member of the Rescue Squad, and a member of Emergency Management transported the patient on a side-by-side to meet one of the ambulances for transport to the hospital. The patient got immediate treatment, then surgery, and returned home on Sunday evening.
“These are just two of a great many stories of dedication,” Frank said. “Many of these stories are our own citizens being kind and charitable through either their resources or work. I’m very proud of our county — from all of our government agencies and employees, to volunteer agencies, to our citizens.”