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First responders carry young Chloe Gunter to an ambulance in the wake of last week's killer tornado. (Photo: Walter Geiger)

Who are your tornado heroes?

Posted by
Walter Geiger
in Opinion
Thursday, May 5. 2011
Comments (18)
By Walter Geiger

I was met by a surreal scene at 1:30 a.m. last Thursday when I pulled up to the Hot Shot store or what was left of it.

The usually brightly lit facility was dark. It was raining. The only light came from flashlights and police and emergency strobes. I marveled at the shredded store and the smashed church across the street. I had only a small flashlight but I could see enough to know things were bad.

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#1 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 12:16 PM
Al Moltrum is one of the most outstanding officers in the entire law enforcement of Lamar County, also an awesome man of God!
#2 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 12:56 PM
He certainly is. He is also very humble man. I doubt that he would think of himself as a hero.
#3 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 04:14 PM
My boys made me so proud. My oldest asked if we could go out and help Friday after school, and then my twins wanted to go out Sat, Sun and Mon. They worked as hard as they could and wowed me. they never want to clean or do yard work at home1
#4 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 05:05 PM
I wish I could send a thank you letter to every law enforcement and emergency personnel that came out the night of the storm. To leave their family to assist complete strangers, with the threat of continued bad weather, is an act that not many people would do. I live on Piedmont Rd and saw the first Sheriff car about 10 minutes after the storm him. I saw him/her drive through a ditch to get around a tree in the road to continue on to the houses that were hit by the tornado. In my eyes all these guys/gals are my hero.
#5 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 06:23 PM
Barnesvile city government????? NOT
#6 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 06:35 PM
There are many, many heros. Hats off to all that went above and beyond to help those in need. It is amazing that they put their lives in danger to help. It is also amazing how well all agencies worked together to get things done and continue to do so. We are blessed to live in such a community.
#7 Anonymous on 05/05/11 at 06:55 PM
They all were outstanding!! Many thanks to all law enforcement and responders. The fearlessness and teamwork was/is awesome! You are all heros!!
#8 anon on 05/05/11 at 11:07 PM
Lamar County Commissioner Nancy Thrash. After the tornado hit, she was out driving and checking on the citizens homes and businesses. This is dedication. That is saying alot, being she just came home from the hospital a few weeks ago following surgery. Thank you Commissioner Thrash for your dedication as a public servant.
#9 CPL Ross on 05/06/11 at 08:33 AM
To all the citizens of Lamar County.

Most of the men and women in military Uniform were Georgia State Defense Force Troops.

After surveying what areas of damage I could get to, I read the request for help here and the number to call to volunteer to help.

I sent a request up my chain of command along with the hyperlink to Mr Geigers story on Barnesville.com.

We were mobilised and I spent from thursday setting up the operations center in the gym on Academy Dr. to Monday morning at 6am working a guard post and 18 plus hour days in between along side a couple of hundred of my fellow troops.

To see more about us go to YOUTube and type in GASDF or Georgia State Defense Force and see the videos.

Also go to WWW.GASDF.Com to see more about us.
We are the 5th brigade in this area and serve from HW280 in the south to I-20 in the North and from Alabama to Savannah West to East.

Furthermore we are an all volunteeer non paid force who supplies our own uniforms and equipment and supplies but buy our own gas and use our own personal vehicles to goto training and missions like these.

We rely on a meager budget and donations of goods to keep us going.

If anyone wishes to help, we need to replenish our basic supplies.

I live on Midway Rd here in Lamar County.

call me,
CPL Ross at 770-872-2208 or Chief Emory Holloway at 770-630-7489

if you or any store owner/ manager with the appropriate supplies can help us.

This will allow us to continue to provide service to this and other areas affected in the future.

Thanks
CPL Ross
#10 It's Me on 05/06/11 at 04:59 PM
When I have internet back and am able to sit still long enough, I will be able to be more accurate. But for now ... I may spell some names wrong and accidentally leave someone out but I am going to give it a shot. Everyone who made an effort to help myself and my child are heroes to us. We had a direct hit and not many people in the area seemed to realize that our area was even destroyed so badly and that caused even more stress on my family. I was awakened by a window coming in at my head, the home shaking, and my child screaming from all the way across the home. It was a very traumatic experience but we are both somehow uninjured. Before I could even rationalize what had happened fully, a family friend (Paul Smith) was near our home helping to get a patrol car out of the ditch while enroute to check on us. 2 neighbors that I had never even met risked wandering over to see if we were okay and then 2 firefighters made it up to us as well. We were literally trapped on the property by trees and debris and others came to help clear the entrance enough so we could get in and out of the property (it took 5 hours of chain sawing (a BIG thank you to my Mom and Connie Taylor) and moving of trees to get to my gate from the road) to at least try to function. James Blackmon moved the EVIL tree that was causing me so much stress by blocking the middle of my driveway. Nancy Thrash also called my cell because she could not get into my area to check on us and knew we were up there. The Wheelers offered to let our horses that were at home stay at their property so we could relocate them to safety and they also spent many hours helping with clean up and branch cutting. The Heiney family (all of them) were there helping in every way possible as well for several days. Brian Walker climbed up on the home to cut at a tree that was in the roof and his wife Lisa made me brownies :) Gwen Rowland of Friends of Pike County loaned us a dog pen so our puppies could be safe and with us. Charles Bowden loaned me a trailer so we could move some of our belongings. We are still in the process of relocating and will eventually get settled and be able to thank everyone for all they did to help us in a horrific situation. So, if you happened to involved in helping us ... we are ETERNALLY GREATFUL & THANK YOU!!! Marla Morris & Sierra Sanders
#11 Anonymous on 05/07/11 at 10:15 AM
Katie...with FEMA
#12 Anonymous on 05/08/11 at 07:19 PM
The people who are still out there, over a week later, still working to clean the yards and roadways.
#13 Anonymous on 05/09/11 at 08:24 AM
She was out being NOSY!!!
#14 Anonymous on 05/10/11 at 09:15 AM
JESUS IS MY HERO
#15 Anonymous on 05/10/11 at 05:44 PM
Joe Buice is my hero. I am just amazed that he was the only one brave enough to help out his big brother after the tornado. Way to go Joe, Im sorry Walter didnt get your picture to go into the paper with your brothers praise. LAMO!! Joes new superhero name can be the invisible man!
#16 Former Lamar Countian on 05/11/11 at 07:09 AM
If there were such a thing as a hero, I'd place my bets with Stewart Smith. He's a Paramedic with Mid-Ga, and was on duty that fateful evening. His wife and son were nestled in their home - located on Grove Street. Can you imagine the horror of hearing such a call come in over the radio, knowing that your wife and son were in the eye of the storm? Were it I in the same scenario, I would have come unglued. But not Stewart - ever the professional. I don't know how he did it, but God bless Stewart Smith.
#17 Jarvis Whitman on 05/12/11 at 09:16 PM
The victims themselves.

I was a volunteer, and their indomitable human spirit in the face of stark disaster was truly humbling and inspiring.

I cannot imagine the courage it took to get up the next morning and day after day to begin rebuilding their lives and homes. And yet maintain their composure and dignity and (of all things) a sense of humor and to be thankful and relieved they were still alive.

After I went home to decompress, I sat down and cried for 20 minutes. Then I thought of their quiet grace for a moment, smiled and felt love and admiration for total strangers.
#18 Anonymous on 05/12/11 at 09:48 PM
Is it not Jesus/God that put everyone in this situation in the first place, only to save some later?

Seems kinda counterintuitive.
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