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Firefighters Rescue Elderly, Disabled Residents Trapped For Nearly 24 hours After Tornado

Firefighters in Spalding County, Georgia, rescued elderly, disabled residents that had been inaccessible and stuck for nearly 24 hours in their homes and debris after being inflicted upon by the devastating tornado.

Nearly 24 hours after an EF-3 tornado ripped through Spalding County, Fox 5 Atlanta reported that some elderly and disabled residents were still stuck in their homes as of this Friday afternoon.

An illustrative example is shown by Joycelyn Collier, “whose 71-year-old mom was among those still stuck in her damaged home on Dale Drive.” Collier said: “We are crawling up under the wires to take food and water to them.”

The rescue efforts were treacherous  because “downed wires, tree limbs, and debris made it difficult for the disabled seniors to get to safety.” Circumstances for the elderly residents were dire. As reported, “Collier’s mother and her two aunts were in the cold with no water, no heat, and sunlight peeking through their roof where two trees had come crashing down.”

Collier elaborated upon the ominous rescue efforts. “My main focus is just trying to get my mom out, get my aunts, get them to safety,” adding, “We’re hoping that they can take them through the woods and get them to safety.”

A Spalding County firefighter was “flagged down” and, after assessing the situation, called for backup. As reported, moments later, a group of firefighters arrived, “then delicately helped the seniors to the end of their block.”

The treacherous environment of one or more downed power lines challenged the firefighters’ skills. The resident had to be navigated individually over the powerline. Collier commented: “My heart goes out to everyone that’s affected,” commenting that “Everyone’s been warm, kind, and generous.”

Happily, the residents were cold but none were hurt. “Emergency officials have been busy over the past 24 hours, checking on residents hit hard by the storm.” A video embedded in the article shows how firefighters tunneled through debris to rescue a man. However, late Thursday evening, firefighters pulled man from a home after a tree trapped him for three hours. The man suffered a crushed pelvis and perhaps spinal injuries. Happily, also, he was up and talking in the hospital.

D&B Staff

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