- Suwannee County has faced three major hurricanes in less than two years, leading to life-changing challenges and an accelerated recovery process.
- Emergency Management Director Chris Volz shares how the county’s quick response to Helene helped neighbors get the support they needed, with FEMA applications submitted in record time.
- Watch the video to see what they're doing to reflect on this past hurricane season.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Suwannee County is reflecting on the damage Hurricane Helene caused six months ago, but this neighborhood didn’t just face Helene. They endured not one, not two, but three hurricanes in 19 months, starting in 2023.
“To get through this process with Idalia, Debbie, Helene all impacting our county has been challenging but we have an amazing community,” said Lt. Chris Volz, Suwannee County’s Emergency Management Director.
Hurricane Idalia in 2023, Hurricane Debbie in 2024, and then Hurricane Helene a month later. Lt. Chris Volz says these hurricanes brought life-changing damage and challenges no one expected.
Since then, Chris and his team have been focused on how to get recovery moving faster and smoother. By the time Helene hit, Chris says recovery teams were already on the ground—just two days after the storm. He credits that quick response for helping neighbors get the support they needed.
“Those recovery people, those recovery teams from FEMA, everyone who was involved in that, that’s the reason we were able to get these applications done in less than three months honestly. We didn’t start until November. We’ve already turned in all of our applications for FEMA with every storm that's hit us and that’s almost unprecedented for a rural county,” said Lt. Volz.
This hurricane season, Volz says they hope to continue the quick response if disaster strikes this neighborhood again.
Right now, neighbors are praying for the best but also preparing for the worst, as hurricane season is just a few months away.
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