St. Simons Island residents hold post-hurricane celebration

People who live in St Simons Island were some of the last people allowed to return to their homes after Hurricane Matthew.

Action News Jax showed you on Tuesday when people were finally allowed to return.

On Sunday, hundreds of people came together at Neptune Park to show their appreciation for those who stayed behind to help.

Our crew spoke to many who said they chose to evacuate.

They told us some of the scariest moments of their lives were not knowing they were coming home to after Hurricane Matthew.

The large group recognized police officers, and first responders, along with their neighbors who chose not to evacuate.

"There were people who stayed on the island and when the rest of us couldn't get back, they were riding their bikes because they couldn't get on the roads because of the trees," said Jessica Spearman, one of the event organizers. "They were feeding people's pets, they were checking on the elderly that couldn't leave. They were just really, really hometown heroes."

Spearman, a single mother of two, said she evacuated with her children and was relieved to see the community still communicating with each other on social media about the island.

Another organizer, Autumn Roberts, told us that one man rode his bike throughout the community after the storm showing damages to people’s homes on Facebook live.

She said he did that so people would be able to see their homes on the community's social media page and have some peace of mind.

People at the celebration said they're just happy to be moving forward.

Cox Media Group