BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. — In Nahunta, a long-awaited break from the flames came from the sky.
For people who have been watching the Highway 82 fire inch closer and closer to their homes, Sunday night’s rain was not just relief. It was something deeper.
“That was heavenly rain. That was something extra in that rain,” said 75-year-old Irma Gillis, who lives on Browntown Road, one of the areas hit hardest by the fire.
The rain moved across southeast Georgia late Sunday, dampening flames along the perimeter and giving firefighters a small window to regroup. Officials say it helped cool hotspots and slow the fire’s spread, but they are clear that this is only a pause.
“We have a pause for a day or two, but it’s not the end,” said Karen Miranda Gleason with the Southern Area Incident Management Team.
Even with that warning, people here are holding on to hope.
Gillis says she believes that rain was an answer to prayers.
“I hope He’ll send us some more of that heavenly rain just like He did yesterday. But I’m counting on God to end this fire,” she said.
At Southside Baptist Church, volunteers have turned the building into a hub for support. Evacuees are sleeping there. Hot meals are served three times a day. Tables are lined with hygiene products and baby items for anyone who needs them.
“If you need a place to sleep, if you need something to eat, we have showers outside,” said Sandy Lee, who is helping run the kitchen.
Organizers say one of the biggest needs right now is something many people do not think about in a disaster, brand-new undergarments, like underwear, undershirts, and socks.
“We’re just here to serve you and do God’s work,” Lee said.
Church leaders say the work is far from over. Even after the flames are out, recovery will take time.
“When all the emergency people go back home to their regular lives, we need people to still step up and help these people that have lost everything,” said Teresa Lairsey, a Brantley County School Board member helping coordinate relief efforts.
Through it all, there is one message you hear again and again here, and that’s gratitude.
“The praise is there’s been no loss of life. If you can walk away with your family and your loved ones, you’re blessed. And we have been blessed,” Lairsey said.
Back on Browntown Road, Gillis says she is ready for the day she can finally return home without fear.
“I’ll just be glad to go back home and lay in my bed,” she said.
Until then, she and so many others here are watching the skies, hoping that the next round of rain is already on the way.
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