All hands on deck: Inmates help recovery in South Georgia after Hurricane Michael

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It’s all hands on deck after Hurricane Michael tore through South Georgia this week. Even inmates are doing their part.

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The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office shared photos this week of inmates hard at work doing a multitude of tasks to aid in recovery.

Dressed in a more traditional black and white outfit, members of the Crisp County Detention Center’s Work Detail were seen outside the very courthouse from which they were sentenced handing out ice and water to residents.

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Power has been out for most homes in the area for days now and the entire county has been under a boil water advisory, going so far as to tell residents to just use the water for bathing or laundry only. As of Saturday evening, the sheriff's office says 50 percent of the homes remained off the grid.

The much-needed ice and water arrived in a large truck and was distributed by the inmates to those who drove up and through the line formed in the parking lot of the courthouse.

Meanwhile, the Georgia Department of Corrections has been organizing work crews to help clear debris from the roadway. Some of the inmates were working alongside deputies from the Forsyth Sheriff’s Office. Those deputies usually are patrolling the streets in a county a little less than 30 miles north of Atlanta, but this week they were part of the much need reinforcements for the hard-hit community.

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The Georgia Department of Corrections also had 30 inmates from the fire teams and crews working to cut up debris, clear roadways, and haul away fallen timber.

The department said they were quickly able to clean up, make repairs at their facilities, and bring the teams out into the public to assist the community.

Even though the inmates are putting in their time for their crimes, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office posted on their Facebook page Saturday a thank you message to them for their help.

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The Georgia Forestry Commission and Department of Natural Resources also sent teams to the area to assist in recovery and clearing of debris.
Crisp County is located about 60 miles south of Macon, Georgia.

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