Douglas Baber
Jefferson County Manager
When tough times hit, you truly see what a community is made of. Following the storm that moved through our area this past weekend of Oct. 9, I couldn't be prouder of Team Jefferson. From the moment the weather started heading our way to the cleanup happening right now, our folks showed incredible heart, true teamwork and that unbeatable neighbor-helping-neighbor spirit that makes this county so special.
First off, I want to tip my hat and give a huge thank you to our Emergency Management team, led by our outstanding Emergency Management Director, Kristy Anderson. Her hard work, clear planning and around-the-clock dedication kept us safe and ready. Keeping our community protected takes a ton of coordination, and Kristy and her team absolutely nailed it.
A special word of appreciation must also go to our Board of County Commissioners. Their unwavering leadership, total trust and steadfast support provided our team with the resources, flexibility and backing needed to act quickly and decisively before, during and after the storm. Having a Board that truly cares about this county and stands behind its personnel makes all the difference when responding to an emergency.
We also made sure to take care of the people who take care of you. We closed county offices before the storm hit so our county employees could get home, help their families and secure their own places. We knew we would be calling them right back to work the minute the storm passed, so giving them time to protect their loved ones was our top priority. Sure enough, as soon as the skies cleared, our workers reported right back to duty with smiles on their faces, ready to roll up their sleeves and serve their neighbors.
The cleanup effort was nothing short of amazing. Our Road Department and Solid Waste teams jumped straight into action, clearing downed trees, scooping up debris, and opening up our roads in record time. Working side-by-side with them was the National Guard. A special thank you goes out to those Guard members who stepped up and worked shoulder to shoulder with our county crews to get our community cleared out safely.
I also want to express a heartfelt thank you to our residents. So many members of the public grabbed their chainsaws, fired up their tractors and helped clear trees off roads and out of driveways on their own. It is a true testament to what I have been saying about Jefferson County since I arrived here: our people just do. They don't wait for anyone to come fix things when work needs to be done; they step up and take care of each other.
We also owe a major thanks to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Their strong support kept our streets safe, kept traffic moving smoothly and provided a calm, reassuring presence every single step of the way.
Our rapid recovery was also thanks to the strong, tireless partnerships we have with our power utility companies. Duke Energy and Tri-County Electric Cooperative worked non-stop around the clock, battling the elements to fix lines, replace poles and transformers, and get the lights back on. I am thrilled to share that power to all Jefferson County residents has now been fully restored as of Monday morning! A huge, heartfelt thank you goes out to all of the line workers and energy partners who gave it their all to make that happen so quickly. We also pray that all of our local businesses made it through unscathed, fully powered up and ready for business.
It takes a full team effort to get through a storm, and that heartwarming local support is what kept our crews going when energy was low. A big special thanks goes to Johnston’s for feeding our hard-working crews on Saturday. Having a hot, delicious meal and a moment of warm fellowship during a long, exhausting day of work meant the world to our teams and filled everyone’s spirits.
Times like this remind us all of the deep goodness in our community and why Jefferson County is such a wonderful, blessed place to call home. To our Board of County Commissioners, Emergency Management Director Kristy Anderson, our county staff, law enforcement, municipal and constitutional partners, the National Guard, our power crews, local businesses, and every resident who lent a helping hand: thank you for everything you do.
We are Team Jefferson, and we always take care of our own!