It looks as if the Dade County government has given up its fight to close Cloudland Canyon State Park in order to protect its citizens from exposure to the deadly coronavirus. "There's a lot of law that's been quoted the last two days to us," said Dade County Executive Chairman Ted Rumley at today's 3 p.m. livestreamed briefing.
Rumley said after a meeting of county leaders with senior Department of Natural Resources officials, state Sen. Jeff Mullis and the Dade Sheriff's Office, it had become evident the county's plan to have local law enforcement turn away travelers from hot-spot areas was a no-go. "That's not going to happen," said Rumley. Legally, he said: "You can't set even a roadblock up there and turn them away."
Dade as well as other counties and municipalities across the state have pled with Gov. Brian Kemp to help them protect spread of the coronavirus into their areas by closing state parks and beaches. The governor will have none of it. Last weekend, it looked as if Dade were to be granted its wish when--overwhelmed by a stream of cars from Highway 136 as usual--the park shut its gates on Saturday. But the park announced immediately that the closure had been for the day only, normal park hours were resumed on Sunday, and Rumley had to admit bitterly in his next update that the county's relief and jubilation had been premature.
So the governor wins and Dade loses, but Rumley said DNR is trying to make sure to keep visitation to the park within bounds. "They've got a plan," he said. After the 150-car limit Kemp imposed as a compromise measure is reached, surplus cars will be turned away and told not to come back for three hours, rather than being allowed to line up along Highway 136 as they have been, waiting to go in until another car comes out. Furthermore, signs will be put up encouraging social distancing, and on its website and FB page the park will try to discourage people from coming long distances to visit the canyon, urging them to visit parks closer to home instead. "They're making an effort this weekend like they've never done before," said Rumley.
Are they? The Planet checked the state park's FB page and found nothing more off-putting than: "During this difficult time, being in nature can be especially comforting. Per Gov. Brian Kemp’s Executive Order, outdoor activity is identified as an essential activity, as long as visitors follow CDC social-distancing guidelines."
As for Cloudland Canyon's official website, gastateparks.org/CloudlandCanyon, go to that and the first blurb you'll read is: "Rediscover nature's role through the ages by exploring Cloudland Canyon State Park’s water-carved canyons and caves surrounded by the breathtaking views and rugged geology of the Cumberland Plateau."
True, above that, there is a link you may click to go to another page "to view Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites’ response to the Coronavirus." Do that and you can then read:
State Parks Remain Open
We know being in nature is comforting, so most State Parks and Historic Sites remain open. Trails, boat ramps, fishing docks, campsites, cabins and golf courses remain open, allowing you to enjoy being outside. However, we need everyone’s help in social distancing and following guidelines. Please consider staying in your community and visiting your local park. Visiting Georgia’s most well-known state parks is not recommended at this time. We are fortunate to have a large State Park System covering more than 84,000 acres, so we recommend exploring lesser-known or close-to-home parks and historic sites.
Since one purpose of newspapers is to point out the obvious, The Planet will note here that the headline "State Parks Remain Open," plus a sentence two pages and five lines in recommending tourists visit their beauty spot instead, does not convey a STAY AWAY message as well as, say, barbed wire, a skull-and-bones sign and a soldier patrolling with helmet and dog.
But again, Rumley signaled defeat and Sheriff Ray Cross, speaking later in the briefing, also seemed to concede there was nothing else the county could do to protect its citizens in the face of the state's obdurate opposition. "It seems the best we can do," he said, mentioning the possibility of lawsuits. And: "Sometimes you just can't do the things you want to do."
All this is in the perspective of Dade's previously tiny COVID-19 count doubling Wednesday and then picking up yet another case today. As it stands, Dade's at seven cases, one death, up from two cases only Monday. County boss Rumley tried to make the best of that, pointing out that the Georgia Department of Public Health's Daily Status Report seems to have been clearing up its "unknown county" category. Unknowns were over 1200 not that long ago and now they're down to 144, he said, so perhaps these are not new cases but newly sorted-out cases.
Also, he said, Dade gets assigned the number from the county of residence listed on test forms, which doesn't mean the afflicted patient actually lives here. "Say they're in California or on a cruise ship," said Rumley. "It doesn't necessarily mean that they're right here in the county at the time or that they've been here in the past few weeks."
As for where in the county a case of COVID-19 is, the county has no way of knowing that from the DPH data. If the county can find out, said Rumley, it will share that information--but that was another battle he seemed to concede defeat in today, acknowledging the immutability of HIPAA (that's "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, by the way) privacy rules.
The only crumb of victory for the county was its ability to keep tourists away from the Sitton's Gulch entrance to the park at the bottom of Lookout Mountain in the Canyon Estates subdivision--not because of the COVID-19 situation but because of the beleaguered little county's other current crisis--rampant damage from Sunday's tornado. "We feel we can enforce that because it's a safety measure," said Rumley.
He, the sheriff and Alex Case, emergency services director, said that sightseers in the heavily damaged Canyon Estates area continue to tie up traffic and frustrate relief workers' efforts to clean up the mess. "We need to keep traffic to a minimum as things go back to normal," said Rumley. Only utility workers, chainsaw gangs and people who live there will be allowed into the subdivision in the next few days. Alex Case said that those who wish to hike the Sitton's Gulch trail will be turned away along with the gawkers.
This sightseer problem also applies to Gulch Road, Piney, Back Valley and Michaels Road areas, according to speakers at today's briefing. Sheriff Cross said he'd see what he could do about speeders in the Michaels Road area.
Other Covid-19 numbers, before we leave the subject entirely are: 15669 total cases for Georgia, up from 14987 Wednesday, 587 deaths up from 52 deaths Wednesday.
Otherwise: Workers from the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Forestry Commission will be working long days and the weekend through Sunday, boss Rumley said, clearing up tornado damage. He reminded all that county residents can bring their brush to the back of the county transfer station on Sunset Drive dawn to dusk, seven days a week. He and Alex Case both reminded that residents can also haul brush up to six inches in diameter and in four-to-five-feet pieces to the curb--get it as close to the road as possible without getting into the road, said a tired-looking Case--for pickup by the county.
Case had new tornado damage numbers after another day of surveying it: He had originally found 102 Dade homes affected by the Sunday storm. Now that's up to 144 homes touched by the tornado, 105 affected by it, of which 14 had no insurance. Minor damage was done to 20 homes, he said, of which seven had no insurance. Major damage had been sustained by 11, of which seven owners had no insurance, and eight were completely destroyed, of which seven had no insurance. Case said a modular home or RV on the bluff along Hwy 301 had gotten flipped off the bluff, a storm disaster that had originally eluded him.
Case said he's put out a plea for cleanup help to outside groups and would also be glad of assistance from local church or civic groups. If you'd like to help, please call his office to register so that you can be given an official sticker or pass to let law enforcement know you're a helper as opposed to a gawker.
Case also addressed the HIPAA-hindered COVID-19 reporting problem with the Department of Health. "It's a whole new ballgame," he said. As emergency services director he is entitled to know if his workers have been exposed to the virus during transport to the hospital, and he knows that of Dade's seven cases two were transported by local ambulances. The rest? He couldn't say. "We're working hard to get this information," said Case. "We're barking hard up the chain."
Case spoke, too, about the quantities of personal protective equipment he finds himself buying during this extended crisis. PPE can only be worn so long, he explained, before it has to be replaced. This is called its "burn rate," a figure he watches with some alarm these days. He said he hopes to have the mounting cost of PPE reimbursed through state and federal assistance.
As he did Wednesday, Case asked residents to contact his office if they needed help cutting out from the tornado. His office number is (706) 657-4111.
Sheriff Cross, incidentally, reported a police chase through the Slygo area Wednesday night. Three people were arrested in that incident and all were in jail as he spoke, charged with violating the shelter-in-place order on top of other charges the sheriff did not specify, except that a gun was involved. He reminded sternly: "If you do commit crimes at this time, we've got room in the jail."
In response to listeners' questions, the Dade officials answered that yes, local residents can take pieces of houses as well as treefall to the landfill for free. The only exception is commercial carriers, and remember, housing materials must go into the regular transfer station, not the back part that is for brush only.
And yes, both the city and county parks are open for walking. Both have closed their playgrounds and other areas that attract congregations, like basketball courts. But residents are free to walk and enjoy the parks as long as they remember to stay six feet apart from each other.
Anything the county government can do to make employers, like local grocery stores, provide mask and gloves for their workers? Rumley said the county can recommend but not force this.
When will we know if uninsured homeowners whose properties were damaged in Sunday's storms will get help from FEMA or GEMA? asked one listener. We don't know yet, said Alex Case, but he's working with the American Red Cross and Salvation Army for those who need help or housing, so please call (706) 657-4111 if you need that. Also, he said, he's still looking for reasonably-priced rentals to house the displaced.
These updates are livestreamed from the Dade County Ga. Facebook page each day at 3 p.m. "Like" the page and you'll be alerted when the county goes live. Alternatively, you can watch the video later on the county's FB page or The Planet's, where they are shared.
