2020 REWIND: Newton’s top stories of the year ranked 6-10 – Covington News

No. 10 Disasters strike across Newton

By Taylor Beck | tbeck@covnews.com

The calendar year of 2020 hasnt been kind to many people across the nation with much of the blame being pointed toward COVID-19. However, the novel coronavirus wasnt the only resemblance of disaster to strike in Newton County.

First responders rescue six from flood waters

Members of the Covington/Newton County Dive Team waded through icy and rising flood waters from the Yellow River on Feb. 7 to rescue six people trapped in their homes at the Riverside Estates Mobile Home and Travel Trailer Park on the Access Road in Covington.

Newton County Fire Battalion Chief Joe Cagle said firefighters were dispatched to the park on a report of a person trapped in a camper. While authorities were on the scene, more people were reportedly trapped.

Newton Fire Lt. Tim Martin and Fire Apparatus Operator Bret Madsen donned dry suits and using a boat rescued the initial victim before conducting a door to door search of the flooded area. No injuries were reported.

One of the rescued victims, Billy New, said of the firefighters, They did a great job.

According to Newton County Emergency Management Agency Director Jody Nolan, the team is made up of public safety personnel from Covington and Newton County and is funded by the EMA.

Two drown in Alcovy River

A Covington residents efforts to save his girlfriends son from drowning Aug. 11 ended tragically for both in the Alcovy River.

Members of a local and state water rescue team recovered the bodies of Covington residents Antonio Perry, 38, and Dejerein Grier, 14, from the river adjacent to Factory Shoals Park in south Newton County.

Family members reported the two missing after both went under the water around 7 p.m., said Sheriff Ezell Brown.

(Responding deputies) were told the teenage son had gone out swimming and the teenage son appeared to have gotten in a challenging mode with the waters, Brown said.

Perry then went out into the water to rescue the teen and he was succumbed by the waters, as well, Brown said.

Media reports said family members had gathered at the park for a day of fun and relaxation. The mother of Grier and girlfriend of Perry, Tonya Hardeman, also was there, Fox5 News reported.

Brown said the group had been to another area and they left that area and they chose to come to this last area where they were all together again.

They were just going to enjoy, have fun, he said.

The Newton-Covington Dive Team was called in to search after the incident occurred but called off their efforts because of darkness.

The team resumed its search Aug. 12 and found Perry but ended the search because of heavy thunderstorms, said spokeswoman Caitlin Jett of the Newton County Sheriffs Office.

The team then resumed the search of the river Aug. 13 and found Grier, Jett said

Brown said he wanted the families of the victims to knowthat they have our greatest sympathies for their loss especially during these times.

He noted concerns about COVID-19 had forced changes in how funerals are conducted.

Any time is a bad time, but these times are unprecedented times that you do not have the opportunity to really mourn and cannot have a traditional funeral, Brown said. Its tough, and I want the families to know that.

The Dive Team is a joint effort of the Newton County Sheriffs Office, Newton County Fire Services, Covington Fire Department, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement, and Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Jett said.

Fire displaces Covington apartment residents

An Oct. 28 fire displaced about 20 residents after an air conditioning unit caught fire at an apartment complex near downtown Covington.

Covington Fire Department responded to an 11:34 p.m. fire call at Harrisburg Park apartments at 2140 Conyers St. and found the air conditioning unit caused sprinklers to turn on and cause extensive water damage in a third floor hallway, said Donnie Tudor, deputy chief of operations for the department.

Two Newton County Fire Department units assisted city firefighters in responding with two ladder trucks, two engines, a rescue squad unit and two battalion units. No injuries were reported.

Tudor said the American Red Cross assisted the displaced residents by finding overnight housing at an area motel.

Tornado hits Covington homeless shelter

Director Clara Lett stood outside what was left of the Rainbow Community Shelter building Oct. 12.

She said she had been in the shelters doorway five minutes before a tornado hit the building without warning two days earlier.

Id just drove off and got around that corner and they said a tornado had hit, she said.

The National Weather Service reported a tornado touched down in Covington and ran for about 1.4 miles Oct. 10.

Police reported it uprooted some trees but only caused one minor injury to a volunteer at the homeless shelter when the tornado hit the building off Turner Lake Road about 5:15 p.m., said Covington Police spokesman Capt. Ken Malcom.

The EF-1 tornado was tracked from Washington Street and Walker Bend Parkway to Woodhaven Drive near I-20 in western Covington, according to the National Weather Service.

An EF-1 has estimated wind speeds of 73 to 112 mph, according to the NWS.

The tornado downed trees along its path, including in the area of Brown Bridge Road and Turner Lake Road near the Rainbow shelter, a local official said. Downed trees also caused some power outages in western Newton County, Snapping Shoals EMC reported.

The storm was the remnants of Hurricane Delta that struck the coast of Louisiana and prompted several tornado warnings across Georgia.

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2020 REWIND: Newton's top stories of the year ranked 6-10 - Covington News