AN ICY AULD LANG SYNE
Laurens Countians were getting ready to celebrate the New Year of 1964. Parties were planned all over the county. The events of the past year had reached in and grabbed the soul of the nation. The New Year's Eve weather forecast called for the high temperature in the mid forties. The low on New Year's morning was predicted to be between thirty two and thirty six degrees.
The afternoon edition of "The Courier Herald" reported that freezing rain was beginning to fall. Rentz was the first community to be hit early that morning. Three small Christmas trees on the courthouse lawn were the first to go. By mid-day, growing trees were bending and breaking beneath the weight of the frozen raindrops. Slushy ice began to accumulate along the roadways. Law enforcement officials sent out warnings to all motorists and homeowners to stay at home.
Georgia Power Company, the E.M.C.s, and Southern Bell's crews went into action as soon as the first calls of downed lines started coming in. Calls came pouring in. Lines were falling down faster than they could be replaced. Main feeder lines were going out, one after another. The feeder line from Bellevue Shopping Center to the First Baptist Church would fall seven times before the storm was over. The only line in Dublin to stay up was along Bellevue Road and part of the Highland area.
By midnight, we were in trouble. Bellevue Avenue, Stonewall Street, and their side streets were blanketed with trees. Power lines were down everywhere. There were no long distance phone lines. Local phone lines were in shambles. To some it appeared that the area looked like a tornado had passed through. Nearly ninety eight percent of Dublin was without power. Those who had electric heating systems were without heat. Ninety five percent of the phones were not working. Gas customers were lucky, their heaters and furnaces were working. The main line from Eastman to Cadwell was down. Cadwell, Rentz, and part of Dudley was without power.
Before nightfall, every store shelf was cleared of batteries, flashlights, and candles. Unused Christmas candles were unpacked. One lady bought all of the candles in one shop to use with her chafing dish. Our house had an electric water heater. Obviously it didn't work. My father heated water in his fish cooker and poured it into the kitchen sink where we took our baths. Kerosene was sold out at every service station. Old oil lamps which had not been used in years were dusted off and put into service.
The main line to the Dublin water pumping station went out twice. A special tap kept the water flowing. The smaller towns could not pump without electricity. The stored supplies of water soon ran out. Claxton Hospital operated on battery power for nearly fourteen hours. Laurens Memorial Hospital had its own generators and experienced very little problems. The V.A. Hospital had its own transmission line and experienced no power outages. Remarkably most of the industries lost very little power. Dublin City Hall operated on batteries for two hours until they went out. The National Guard came to rescue and restored auxiliary power. Every available policemen and firemen were on duty. The employees of the water, sanitary, and gas departments worked to clear the streets. Citizens were invited to take as much firewood as they could cut. For many city school kids like myself, what made the storm worst was that we only missed one day of school.
The Progressive Rural Telephone Cooperative suffered a complete breakdown in service. After the first few hours of the storm, the system became inoperative. Damages estimates ran as high as two hundred thousand dollars. The wires were so heavy that poles snapped in half.
All of the customers of Oconee E.M.C., with the exception of those living within a mile of Dudley, were out of power. Six feeder lines were down. Manager Robert Williams was grateful that he had nearly sixty men working to restore power. They came from all over Georgia as well as Virginia and Florida. Local construction and farm workers also lent a hand. The Alamo and Little Ocmulgee E.M.C.s were in a similar situation. By the end of the week most of lines were restored. Fortunately only about twenty of their fifteen thousand poles had snapped.
The storm provided the first true test for the Laurens County Civil Defense Unit. Director Marguerite Faulk and her staff provided water and lights in homes where deaths had occurred and to farmers who had milk cows and chickens.
The local Ham Radio Club headed by Billy Dixon, Dwyane Windham, Jim Martin, Marguerite Martin, Arthur Hadden, Tom Anderson, Robert Anderson, and Howard Cordell, Jr. handled radio communications inside and outside of county. The Martins alone handled sixty five messages. They covered the Southeast and ranged from Beaumont, Texas, to New Jersey.
Utility crews worked tirelessly for more than three days to restore power, heat, and water to the damaged areas. The streets were cleared of trees and lines first. The next order was to restore the main lines and the service lines. By the morning of the 2nd, one fourth of Dublin was still without power. Nearly two hundred houses were damaged when they had their service lines ripped away from them.
For the better part of three days we experienced a nightmare. Nearly the entire state was paralyzed by the freak storm. The dedication of the municipal workers and the many volunteers got us through the most trying ordeal in our county's recent history. It wasn't a such a happy New Year's in 1964, but it was one that will never be forgotten. Remember, it can happen again.
The afternoon edition of "The Courier Herald" reported that freezing rain was beginning to fall. Rentz was the first community to be hit early that morning. Three small Christmas trees on the courthouse lawn were the first to go. By mid-day, growing trees were bending and breaking beneath the weight of the frozen raindrops. Slushy ice began to accumulate along the roadways. Law enforcement officials sent out warnings to all motorists and homeowners to stay at home.
Georgia Power Company, the E.M.C.s, and Southern Bell's crews went into action as soon as the first calls of downed lines started coming in. Calls came pouring in. Lines were falling down faster than they could be replaced. Main feeder lines were going out, one after another. The feeder line from Bellevue Shopping Center to the First Baptist Church would fall seven times before the storm was over. The only line in Dublin to stay up was along Bellevue Road and part of the Highland area.
By midnight, we were in trouble. Bellevue Avenue, Stonewall Street, and their side streets were blanketed with trees. Power lines were down everywhere. There were no long distance phone lines. Local phone lines were in shambles. To some it appeared that the area looked like a tornado had passed through. Nearly ninety eight percent of Dublin was without power. Those who had electric heating systems were without heat. Ninety five percent of the phones were not working. Gas customers were lucky, their heaters and furnaces were working. The main line from Eastman to Cadwell was down. Cadwell, Rentz, and part of Dudley was without power.
Before nightfall, every store shelf was cleared of batteries, flashlights, and candles. Unused Christmas candles were unpacked. One lady bought all of the candles in one shop to use with her chafing dish. Our house had an electric water heater. Obviously it didn't work. My father heated water in his fish cooker and poured it into the kitchen sink where we took our baths. Kerosene was sold out at every service station. Old oil lamps which had not been used in years were dusted off and put into service.
The main line to the Dublin water pumping station went out twice. A special tap kept the water flowing. The smaller towns could not pump without electricity. The stored supplies of water soon ran out. Claxton Hospital operated on battery power for nearly fourteen hours. Laurens Memorial Hospital had its own generators and experienced very little problems. The V.A. Hospital had its own transmission line and experienced no power outages. Remarkably most of the industries lost very little power. Dublin City Hall operated on batteries for two hours until they went out. The National Guard came to rescue and restored auxiliary power. Every available policemen and firemen were on duty. The employees of the water, sanitary, and gas departments worked to clear the streets. Citizens were invited to take as much firewood as they could cut. For many city school kids like myself, what made the storm worst was that we only missed one day of school.
The Progressive Rural Telephone Cooperative suffered a complete breakdown in service. After the first few hours of the storm, the system became inoperative. Damages estimates ran as high as two hundred thousand dollars. The wires were so heavy that poles snapped in half.
All of the customers of Oconee E.M.C., with the exception of those living within a mile of Dudley, were out of power. Six feeder lines were down. Manager Robert Williams was grateful that he had nearly sixty men working to restore power. They came from all over Georgia as well as Virginia and Florida. Local construction and farm workers also lent a hand. The Alamo and Little Ocmulgee E.M.C.s were in a similar situation. By the end of the week most of lines were restored. Fortunately only about twenty of their fifteen thousand poles had snapped.
The storm provided the first true test for the Laurens County Civil Defense Unit. Director Marguerite Faulk and her staff provided water and lights in homes where deaths had occurred and to farmers who had milk cows and chickens.
The local Ham Radio Club headed by Billy Dixon, Dwyane Windham, Jim Martin, Marguerite Martin, Arthur Hadden, Tom Anderson, Robert Anderson, and Howard Cordell, Jr. handled radio communications inside and outside of county. The Martins alone handled sixty five messages. They covered the Southeast and ranged from Beaumont, Texas, to New Jersey.
Utility crews worked tirelessly for more than three days to restore power, heat, and water to the damaged areas. The streets were cleared of trees and lines first. The next order was to restore the main lines and the service lines. By the morning of the 2nd, one fourth of Dublin was still without power. Nearly two hundred houses were damaged when they had their service lines ripped away from them.
For the better part of three days we experienced a nightmare. Nearly the entire state was paralyzed by the freak storm. The dedication of the municipal workers and the many volunteers got us through the most trying ordeal in our county's recent history. It wasn't a such a happy New Year's in 1964, but it was one that will never be forgotten. Remember, it can happen again.
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