Anyone who has lived through a hurricane on the Suncoast knows the routine. The wind stops, the sun comes out, and within hours there are trucks on the road, crews cutting up downed trees and hauling branches off the pavement. What we rarely see is what that work costs the people doing it.
Rocky Meeks, 53, is a road foreman for the Georgia Department of Transportation. While clearing debris after Hurricane Isaias, a tree limb from a nearby tree fell about 40 feet and struck him in the head. He had been working since 3:30 that morning, and the tree he was cutting was his 11th of the day. He was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, where he has undergone multiple surgeries, including aorta stents, leg repair with a rod, and spinal surgery.
His wife, Robin, says he was awake before the spinal procedure and told her not to worry about him. What he did worry about was the financial strain on his family, including the possibility of selling his antique cars. The department has told Robin his job is safe, but the months of recovery ahead are still a heavy lift, and she has shared a GoFundMe to help close the gap. His story is a reminder that storm recovery has a human cost that outlasts the headlines. If you’d like to help the Meeks family, you can find the link on our site. Have you ever taken a moment to thank a cleanup crew after a storm?
