School Starts, Recovery Continues

On what began as an ordinary school day in April, students at Atkinson Elementary and Waynesville Elementary in rural Brantley County, Georgia, were suddenly told to evacuate. 

Fueled by drought conditions and strong winds, a wildfire was spreading rapidly across the county. As conditions worsened that afternoon, children boarded buses and were moved to safety. That night, families reunited at an emergency shelter, where many learned their homes were gone.

Lana Kicklighter, Greater Valdosta United Way's rural outreach coordinator, often thinks about what that moment must have felt like for families.

“We left to go to school like a normal day, and now we have nothing," she recalls hearing from families.

With the new school year approaching, many of those families are still working to recover. Greater Valdosta United Way is helping families access medical care, groceries, and other essentials while supporting long-term recovery efforts across the region.

Boots on the Ground

Lana had been in her position as rural outreach coordinator for just two months when the fires began. Brantley County had joined the Greater Valdosta United Way's service area in February, and staff were still introducing themselves to the community when evacuation orders arrived.

Michael Smith, CEO of Greater Valdosta United Way, asked Lana to be the organization's boots on the ground. Throughout the spring, she spent nearly every day in Brantley County, helping coordinate donations, feeding firefighters, and meeting with families to understand their immediate needs.

One afternoon, she drove out to Satilla Grocery, the county's only grocery store, to deliver meals to firefighting crews who were coming off shift. Fire officers warned her not to get too close to active burn areas.

“I'm not a firefighter, but I want to help as much as I can," she told them.

As she handed out sandwiches, she felt heat rising beneath her feet.

“And all of a sudden, I realized that there is fire underneath me."

That hidden danger made the wildfire especially difficult to contain. Brantley County sits on peat soil, which can smolder underground and burn out of sight. Firefighters had to watch every step, and some areas remained unsafe long after visible flames disappeared.

Fueled by strong winds and drought conditions, the fire spread rapidly and was not fully contained until Memorial Day weekend.

By then, 143 structures across Brantley, Ware, Clinch, and Echols counties were burned completely. About 95% were homes. Many affected families were still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which hit two years ago.

We left to go to school like a normal day, and now we have nothing,"

a New School Year

Now, as the school year begins, children who left school that day still have not returned to their former homes. Some families are living in tents on their property rather than leave the communities where they have deep roots.

Many also lost vehicles in the fire. In a rural area with limited transportation options, losing a car can mean losing a job, making recovery even more difficult.

Greater Valdosta United Way is working with partners to connect students to back-to-school physicals and medical appointments. The organization is also coordinating grocery deliveries through Publix and Walmart for households that cannot travel.

Lana now serves on Brantley County's long-term recovery committee, which is beginning formal planning alongside the Georgia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

The immediate goal is clear.

"No one should have to be living in a tent right now," Lana said.

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In July, Greater Valdosta United Way announced that more than $114,000 in donations had been raised to support wildfire survivors. To learn more, visit the Greater Valdosta United Way website.