BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. – In the parking lot of Southside Baptist Church in Nahunta, generators hum as heavy equipment sits staged for another early start. Inside the church, volunteers grab quick meals and prepare for the next day’s work — part of a growing recovery effort in Brantley County following the Highway 82 Fire.
Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief, which spent the early weeks of the wildfire providing support services for first responders, is now transitioning to help homeowners whose properties were damaged or destroyed.
RELATED: Georgia church becomes base camp for firefighters battling Brantley County wildfire
“The people that have lost so much in the fires,” Jim Croome with Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief said. “And we’ll be here as long as we can to be able to help people.”
Croome said the losses families are facing can be overwhelming, and that recovery after a wildfire looks different than recovery after storms.
He said teams are working to connect residents to services such as debris cleanup and personal property recovery — including efforts to sift through debris for items that may have survived.
“People that have needs can come here at Southside and we’re here,” Croome said. “We’ll take applications… put them in the job tracker and go forward.”
MORE | ‘Nothing short of a miracle’: Some Brantley County homes spared as wildfire damage comes into focus
Where to find recovery resources
County officials have launched a centralized recovery website to help residents find resources for food, clothing, temporary housing, cleanup services and financial assistance. The site is hwy82firerecovery.com .
The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office has also encouraged residents to share the recovery resource link, and says anyone with recovery needs can contact the Brantley County Commissioners Office at 912-462-5256, extension 5.
As of Friday, these were the resources listed:
General Inquiries: info@hwy82firerecovery.com
Food/Clothing/Cleaning Items Resources
- Food for the Community-
- Brantley County Family Connection
- Dawn Deen 912-614-3850
- Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief
- Georgia Baptist
- Dwain Carter 361-436-0602
- ACSDR Relief Services
- ACSDR / 7th Day Adventists
- Rhonda Haight 423-504-8801
- Salvation Army
- Convoy of Hope – Fire Cleanup Kits
- Convoy of Hope
- Salvation Army – Meals & Food Boxes
- The Salvation Army (GA Division)
- Lanita Lloyd 404-550-3707
- Salvation Army – Clothing Vouchers & Hygiene Kits
- The Salvation Army (GA Division)
- Lanita Lloyd404-550-3707
- Limitless Cleaning – Wildfire Relief
- Limitless Cleaning
- POC / Owner 912-778-8306
- Donations for Community
- Brantley County Family Connection / 7th Day Adventists
- Dawn Deen 912-614-3850
Local Community Donation Pickup Sites
- Brantley County Family Connections
- 10305 Main Street North Nahunta, GA 31553
- Clothing, non-perishable food, cleaning supplies
- Mon–Sun 8 AM – 5 PM
- Contact: Dawn Deen 912-614-3850
Financial Aid Resources
- Red Cross Disaster Action Team
- Faith Responders – Case Management & Debris Cleanup
- Faith Responders
- Laura Lambert 850-363-6799
- CORE Response – Cash Assistance & Case Management
- CORE Response
- Whitney Freeman 248-872-1306
- Firebox Initiative – Financial Aid (Service Industry)
- SS BBQ Firebox
- Firebox Initiative ssbbqfirebox.com
Shelter/Temporary Housing Resources
- Red Cross Disaster Action Team
- First Responder Sheltering/Laundry
- GA Baptist Relief
- Micheal Taylor 912-384-0473
- Travel Trailers
- Emerge Ministries
- Lynette Johnson
- Bullock VOAD – Shelter Trailer & Tools
- Bullock VOAD
- Frank Davis 912-659-0002
Children’s Services Resources
- Friends of Disabled Adults & Children (FODAC) – DME
- Friends of Disabled Adults & Children
- Travis Stone 770-491-9014 x140
Personal Property Recovery, Site Cleanup Resources
- Samaritans Purse Program Services
- Samaritans Purse
- Aaron Richards 828-434-8949
- Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief
- Georgia Baptist
- Dwain Carter 361-436-0602
- Debris Clean-up Services
- GA Baptist Relief
- Micheal Taylor 912-382-0473
- Convoy of Hope – Fire Cleanup Kits
- Convoy of Hope
- Convoy of Hope – Fire Kit Contents & Assembly Guide
- Convoy of Hope
- Faith Responders – Case Management & Debris Cleanup
- Faith Responders
- Laura Lambert 850-363-6799
- South Georgia UMC / UMCOR – ERT, Funding & LTR Coordination
- South Georgia United Methodist / UMCORRev.
- Dr. Mike Bankston 478-951-4416
- Limitless Cleaning – Wildfire Relief
- Limitless Cleaning
- POC / Owner 912-778-8306
Evacuation, Re-Entry, Curfew Information Resources
- Red Cross Disaster Action Team
Counseling and Chaplain Services
- Samaritans Purse Program Services
- Samaritans Purse
- Aaron Richards 828-434-8949
- Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief
- Georgia Baptist
- Dwain Carter 361-436-0602
- Salvation Army
- Spiritual Care
- Emerging Ministries
- South Georgia UMC / UMCOR-ERT, Funding & LTR Coordination
- South Georgia United Methodist / UMCORRev.
- Dr. Mike Bankston 478-951-4416
- Spiritual Support
- GA Baptist Relief
- Micheal Taylor 912-382-0473
- Salvation Army – Emotional & Spiritual Care
- The Salvation Army (GA Division)
- Lanita Lloyd 404-550-3707
- HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (AACR) – Emotional Support
- HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response
- Myla Mitchell 404-402-4144
Recovery Operations / Funding Resources
- Faith Responders – Case Management & Debris Cleanup
- Faith Responders
- Laura Lambert 850-363-6799
- CORE Response – Cash Assistance & Case Management
- CORE Response
- Whitney Freeman 248-872-1306
- South Georgia UMC / UMCOR – ERT, Funding & LTR Coordination
- South Georgia United Methodist / UMCORRev.
- Dr. Mike Bankston 478-951-4416
- Long-Term Housing Support
- City of Brunswick
- Chelsea Hill 904-583-2712
- Inspiritus Inc – Project & Construction Case Management (LTR)
- Inspiritus Inc
- Sabrina More 299-291-0022