THOMASVILLE — The Thomas County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) was criticized for not opening more shelters during Hurricane Irma’s wrath, but shelters do not just happen, an EMA official said.

Deputy EMA Director Lisa Griffis said there are not any shelters available that can withstand the winds of a category 3 hurricane.

“We’re not going to put people in harm’s way,” she said.

Georgia does not have the mandatory hurricane-related building code required in Florida, Griffis said, adding Georgia structures might not be able to withstand wind delivered by a powerful hurricane. 

The American Red Cross must determine the need for a shelter. The Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS) and public health personnel, among others, are required to staff a Red Cross shelter.

DFACS screens those arriving at the shelter. A public heath nurse responds to medical needs.

At a Red Cross shelter that opened in Thomasville as Irma approached, a woman experienced chest pains. The nurse knew how to respond.

Evacuees from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and from Irma in South Florida were seeking refuge in Thomas County when it appeared Irma would hit as a Category 1 hurricane.

While the highly unusual influx of people needing help were in this community, Irma’s track was unpredictable. Every few hours, the course changed.

“It’s hard to make plans for that kind of storm,” Griffis said.

Griffis’ goal for the remainder of this year and in 2018 is to convince residents they and their families must be prepared when a powerful hurricane is at hand.

The American Red Cross of South Georgia, of which Thomas County is a member, is in a Red Cross division that works not only in Georgia, but in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The South Georgia chapter is involved in deploying volunteers to hurricane-ravaged sites and in raising money to help victims, said Terri Jenkins, South Georgia chapter executive director.

During Irma, Jenkins said, the chapter established five shelters — in Thomasville, Valdosta, Waycross and Douglas — that housed about 2,000 people.

Churches or any other group may open a shelter, but they bear responsibility for the facility, Jenkins pointed out.

Any church or other organization interested in learning more about Red Cross shelter operations should call (229) 226-2181 or (229) 242-7404.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820