ATLANTA – State Representatives David Knight (R-Griffin), Karen Mathiak (R-Griffin), Lauren Daniel (R-Locus Grove) and State Senator Marty Harbin (R-Tyrone) are working with state and local officials, including the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security (GEMA/HS), to assess damages and mobilize clean-up efforts following a tornado and severe storms in Henry and Spalding counties. These legislators issued the following joint statement:
“We are praying fervently for residents with severe injuries and those whose properties were left devastated in the storm’s aftermath in our district areas. We will do everything within our power to ensure all necessary state resources are deployed to area residents, especially in the Griffin area that was severely impacted by the storm.
“We also want to thank Governor Brian Kemp and our state’s emergency management officials for quickly deploying first responders and clean-up crews to the area, including the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Georgia Department of Public Safety and Georgia State Patrol for working through the night to keep Georgians safe. As citizens begin assessing damages to their own homes and neighborhoods, they should remain cautious around downed power lines and other damage that may be a danger.
“While we have not received official reports that there have been fatalities within our districts, two tragic deaths from other areas of the state have been confirmed. Please pray for the families who have suffered these losses and for all of those who were in the storm’s path.”
On Thursday, January 12, Governor Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency and ordered all relevant state agencies to respond to communities affected by the afternoon storms. The State of Emergency orders state resources to be made available for response and recovery activities throughout the affected areas. The State Operations Center was activated by Governor Kemp and emergency management officials, and this Multi-Agency Coordination Center used by state, federal, local and volunteer agencies is overseeing response efforts in affected areas.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety and Georgia State Patrol were deployed immediately after the storm to help with traffic control with downed lines and to help children get home from school. As of Friday morning, nearly 30 additional state patrol troopers and motor carrier officers were sent to Spalding County to assist with disaster recovery. The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources also working to monitor traffic, clear roads from downed trees and help power crews help restore power to homes and businesses.
The legislators are also working with Georgia Power to ensure heavy resources are deployed to the Griffin-Spalding area. Approximately 550 Georgia Power customers were without power in the Griffin-Spalding area as of Friday morning. Georgia Power crews made much progress overnight and have been working since daylight to further assess damages and restore power. Customers can find outage alerts, updated restoration times and outage maps here.
Representative David Knight represents the citizens of District 134, which includes portions of Lamar, Monroe and Spalding counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2004.
Representative Karen Mathiak represents the citizens of District 74, which includes portions of Fayette, Henry and Spalding counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.
Representative Lauren Daniel represents the citizens of District 117, which includes portions of Henry and Spalding counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022.
Sen. Marty Harbin represents the 16th Senate District which includes Lamar, Spalding and Pike counties and a portion Fayette County.
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