Sheriff Thanks Community for Coming to Aid of Rescue, Law and Emergency Personnel

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley is thanking members of the community who offered their support to emergency and law enforcement personnel Monday and Tuesday as they searched for the driver of a pick up that plunged into Lake Hartwell.

“It really makes you feel good to live in a community like Stephens County,” he said Wednesday. “They rally around you. We had businesses who donated food because we had been there since 11p Monday.”

The Sheriff said the hard work of the divers, and other workers and officers would not have been possible with out their aid.

He said concerned business owners and citizens brought those men and women food and beverages as they worked for almost 24 hours non-stop in the chilly waters of the lake.

“The Phillips Group at 3:30 in the morning went all the way to Lavonia and brought us 100 hamburgers and hot coffee and water for over 100 emergency personnel,” Shirley said. “And McDonald’s here in Toccoa also brought 20 gallons of coffee and hot apple pies. Candice Fisher had brought cases and cases of water.”

Shirley also credited the local Red Cross chapter who came to the emergency personnel’s aid by bringing protein snacks, coffee and water.

One problem Stephens County had was not being able to use their local mobile command center, but Shirley said Oconee County came to the rescue.

“Our command center was under mud behind the shop and we had no way of getting it out. So here comes Oconee County, SC with their command center. So it was coordinated efforts. Our 911 Director pretty much coordinated all of this.”

Shirley said he will be talking to the County Administrator about upgrading the County’s mobile emergency command center.

The Sheriff also thanked Oconee County, SC’s dive team, local fire and rescue personnel as well as Homeland Security and GEMA for coming up from Atlanta when it was feared the victims were five teenagers.