Hurricane Irma: Red Cross Assesses Damage In Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA -- Around metro Atlanta, the cleanup process in the wake of the effects of Hurricane Irma has begun in earnest: Homeowners are out gathering strewn-about debris and raking up wayward limbs in their yards. Others are still waiting on electricity to be restored -- but it's coming.

The Red Cross has dispatched around the area, assisting those in need and offering tips for those who managed to come out unscathed. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

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Disaster volunteer teams began mobilizing Wednesday, visiting impacted areas around the state to see where the most help was needed in the immediate. The epicenter seems to be not just metro Atlanta, but as Gov. Nathan Deal made painfully clear this week, all of Georgia's 159 counties.

Hinesville resident Lular Brown and her son Ron fled to the Red Cross evacuation center in Columbus, courtesy of a four-hour bus ride, a lesson in patience as well as safety.

“The most important lessons we have learned from previous hurricane evacuations is that safety is most important and leaving early is critical,” Ron said.

Lular Brown said the Red Cross basically saved her life. “I must have electricity for my oxygen machine,” she said. “Red Cross nurses and shelter workers make me feel safe in the middle of all this chaos and I am so grateful for all they have done to help my family and me.

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What the Red Cross did in Georgia since Monday when the storm hit is staggering by almost any estimation: The organization served more than 71,300 meals and 142,630 snacks, provided more than 18,350 overnight stays to 6,600 people in 44 evacuation centers, trained 495 disaster workers to help with relief efforts.

By midweek, 13 Red Cross shelters were still open around the state.

"They are my angels,” Lular Brown said, clutching the hand of Heidi Bassano, a Red Cross volunteer shelter manager from Atlanta. “She makes me feel safe."

Image via Red Cross