Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Georgia DNR

Two weeks of non-stop hard work by all of Georgia! Big thank you to all of our Georgia residents for your support of our teams in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene! Together, we’re rebuilding stronger! 🙌

We are so proud of our teams and all of the local and state partners we've worked with.

Our state is not whole yet. 🍑

As we recover together, our teams are working diligently to open up public lands and ensure everyone has a place to get out and recharge. From reopening campgrounds to cleaning up Public Fishing Areas to clear roads on Wildlife Management Areas, opening public lands is an important element to our recovery.

Please be aware while most of our areas are open, there a still a few with downed powerlines that are not safe to access yet. If your go to spot is still closed, check out other areas nearby!

Let's continue to support and care for each other in this recovery effort. 💚

Florida Evacuees - Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites still has cottages and campsites available.

Stay safe, Florida!

Updated 10/9/24 at 4:30 PM

Florida Evacuees – As it may be difficult to find hotel availability south of Atlanta, many state parks still have cottages as well as campsites available. Call the park directly to make a same-day cottage reservation. Park phone numbers can be found at https://gastateparks.org/Milton

Cottages south of Atlanta: Indian Springs (1 cottage available), Chattahoochee Bend (2), Crooked River (5), FD Roosevelt (3), Florence Marina (5), Fort McAllister (2), and Little Ocmulgee (5). Many cottages remain available in north Georgia.

For more information on other places to go, visit https://gema.georgia.gov/hurricane-milton.

DNR Debris Removal Teams continue recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene.

Hurricane Milton evacuees, Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites have cottages and campgrounds available if you are in need of a place to stay.

To make reservations, visit gastateparks.org or call 800-864-7275.

For a full list of park closures and updates, visit gastateparks.org/Alerts.

Equestrian facilities (horses only) can be found at http://gastateparks.org/Equestrian.

Plan your evacuation routes accordingly! For more information, visit gema.georgia.gov.

Stay safe, Florida friends! 🍊

Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites still has space for Florida Evacuees.
Plan your evacuation routes accordingly and stay safe!

Georgia State Parks are open and prepared to receive visitors impacted by Hurricane Milton. However, due to the widespread damage across many Georgia counties from Hurricane Helene’s impact, some state parks remain closed. We encourage you to make reservations at parks far from the impacted areas to avoid putting extra strain on limited resources in these communities.

To make reservations, visit gastateparks.org or call 800-864-7275.

For a full list of park closures and updates, visit gastateparks.org/Alerts.

Equestrian facilities (horses only) can be found at http://gastateparks.org/Equestrian.

Plan your evacuation routes accordingly and stay safe! For more information, visit gema.georgia.gov.

Stepping up to fill a need!

With most Region staff deployed to assist with Hurricane Helene, Lisa, the administrative specialist in the Region 1 Fisheries office, stepped up and worked a WMA check station over the weekend. 🦌 This is just one example of how our staff is helping Georgians both near and far.

Florida friends, as we continue to recover from Hurricane Helene together, Georgia is open for evacuees from Hurricane Milton.

Please see Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency post with information for those that may be heading north. Visit gastateparks.org/Alerts for information on open Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites.

Stay safe.

Attention Florida Evacuees: Due to the widespread damage across many Georgia counties from Hurricane Helene’s impact, we welcome you to find refuge in areas such as Albany, Columbus, Macon, and Atlanta. However, please call ahead as resources in South Georgia are limited.

Georgia State parks are open for RVs and Campers, so please visit gastateparks.org/Alerts for more information. Plan your evacuation routes accordingly, and stay safe! For more information, visit gema.georgia.gov.

Throughout the weekend, DNR Debris Removal Teams continued working to clear roads and secure critical infrastructure in the hardest hit areas of the state. There are currently 9 DNR Debris Removal Teams deployed.

Each Debris Removal Team consists of:
- two sawyers (run the chainsaws)
- a heavy machine operator (typically a skid steer)
- a safety officer
- two Game Wardens for security and communications.

🚨 Fresh Teams 🚨

DNR's third wave of Debris Removal Teams rolled in this afternoon. They'll continue the work helping counties in the hardest-hit areas of the state, opening up critical roads and other infrastructure still blocked by debris. Counting these latest teams, over 225 DNR employees have been helping Georgians recover from Helene.

After several days of hard work, DNR teams are transitioning from Richmond, Montgomery, Wheeler and Atkinson counties to providing assistance to Toombs and Bacon counties. We understand the challenges these communities are facing and DNR is fully committed to supporting our counties, partners, and local communities in the affected areas.

Thank you to the community members that stopped by to say hi and pass out hotdogs and hamburgers to our teams while they worked!

Stay strong, Georgia!

DNR's dedicated staff at our Incident Command Post is working tirelessly to support recovery efforts across Georgia. They're analyzing information to make sure DNR debris removal and law enforcement teams are getting to the hardest hit areas, while also making sure those responding teams have food, water and shelter, so that they can keep working. Today we're coordinating the next wave of response teams to help put Georgia back together.

Stay strong, Georgia.

At their annual conference this month, the Peace Officers Association of Georgia (POAG) presented the 2023 POAG Valor Award to Game Warden Matt Tsiklistas.

On November 22, 2023, Tsiklistas was on patrol in Glynn County when a call came out about a two-vehicle crash in his immediate area. He and State Trooper Ty Brooks pulled up simultaneously and saw a pickup truck lodged under a dump truck and beginning to catch fire. As the truck burst into flames, Tsiklistas grabbed the injured driver and began giving aid and getting him away from the burning truck while Brooks was shielding Tsiklistas and the driver and fighting the flames with a fire extinguisher. As both officers and the driver were attempting to get away from fire, gun shots began to ring out from the truck, due to ammunition that was heating up and discharging in the raging fire. Both officers and the driver made it away from the fire safely.

There is no doubt that the quick response of both officers, and the disregard for their own personal safety, saved the life of the pickup driver and possibly others. We are very proud of the heroic actions of Game Warden Tsiklistas and Trooper Brooks. Both officers are truly deserving of this award!

🏆

🌧️ Day 6 of Hurricane Helene Response

Our teams have been working hard not only clearing roads to reach staff on state properties but also clearing roads and providing public safety across several affected counties 🚧💪:

Holiday Park
Brooks County
Laurens County
Ware/Atkinson County
Long County
Emanuel County
Appling County
Jefferson County
Wheeler County
Richmond County
Montgomery County
Columbia County
McDuffie County
Glascock County
Troup County
Toombs County
Telfair County
Treutlen County

We know there's still a long way to go, but we're proud of everything our teams have accomplished!

🌊🍽️🪓🤝 Water, Food, Chainsaws, and Friends — Together, we’re recovering from Hurricane Helene!

We’re proud to serve the people of Georgia and provide essential support and resources.

🍑Stay strong, Georgia. 💪

💪 Just wrapped up a long but rewarding day serving the people of Georgia.

DNR Staff continue to address access and safety issues following the damage from Hurricane Helene.

Let’s keep supporting each other as we rebuild.

💪 We are committed to the ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene! Our teams are working diligently to ensure roads are accessible and public safety across our community.

Thank you for your continued patience and support.

Please continue to follow the directions of GEMA and your local EMAs. 🚧

Stay safe, Georgia. 💚

Thank you, Georgia, for the outpouring of support for our incredible staff. We have seen all the comments and shares thanking them for their tireless efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 💚 As we close out day four of our recovery efforts, we know there is still a long way to go. DNR is here for the people of Georgia and is committed to helping our communities rebuild. 🙌

Stay strong, Georgia. 💪

We’re here for our community! 💚 Today, our dedicated staff are on the ground helping direct traffic, secure gas stations and clearing fallen trees from roads to speed recovery efforts. 🚧

Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to lend a hand! 🙌 Let’s continue to support each other during this recovery. Stay safe, stay hydrated, and look out for each other! 💪

DNR crews are winding down from another day in Hurricane Helene's affected areas. Throughout the day, more than 150 DNR staff members cleared roads and ensured public safety in 23 counties statewide. We are making progress and will continue work on Monday. For the most up-to-date information about State Park and Wildlife Management Area closures, visit
https://linktr.ee/GAWeatherUpdates.

All DNR Offices in Regions 3, 4, and 6 will not be open to the public on Monday and Tuesday, (Sept. 30 and Oct. 1) due to DNR's storm response and loss of power. For further information about State Park and Wildlife Management Area closures, visit https://linktr.ee/GAWeatherUpdates .

[1:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024]

Family and friends of people in the disaster-affected areas are urged to check social network sites for information about your loved ones. Also, use the American Red Cross Safe and Well program at https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/contact-and-locate-loved-ones.html to let family members know they are safe or looking for loved ones.

It has been a busy day for teams in the field responding to Hurricane Helene debris.

More than 150 staff from all five divisions of DNR have been aiding recovery efforts in 25 counties spanning Georgia. We have cleared roads, worked together, and ensured public safety. This is a historic storm, and appreciates the support from our followers and everyone's words of encouragement.

DNR is a family, like yours. We support each other, we support our communities, and we support our natural resources. Us Georgians are resilient, and we know how to come together when it matters most. We are proud to stand side-by-side with our agency partners, all working together on the direction of Governor Brian Kemp .

As the evening approaches, our folks are beginning to shelter at state parks, wildlife management areas, and other locations across the state. We'll get some grub, get some rest, and get back at it tomorrow morning -- because we're in this together and .

Find the most recent updates on state park and DNR property closures at https://linktr.ee/GAWeatherUpdates