By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

Remember how stressful last Fall was, and not just with the 2024 election?

Hurricane Helene was ravaging Southern, Eastern, and later parts of northern Georgia. On our trip to a conference, I showed the students the damage when driving along I-16 from Macon to Savannah. The damage path shocked them. Georgians needed help. And with armed conspiracy theorists threatening FEMA, service wasn’t easy to get.

Luckily, Georgians had Senator Raphael Warnock. He and his staff knew exactly what to do. And for their efforts last fall, Team Warnock won the bipartisan Congressional Management Foundation’s “2025 Democracy Award for Best Constituent Correspondence & Outreach Services.”

Here’s what the Georgia Senator and his office team did, according to the CMF.

• “Alerted Georgians of the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance. 
• Hosted community resource clinics across the state, helping connect 200 Georgians in rural communities to in-person federal resources and representatives.
• Participated in a community roundtable following Hurricane Helene’s landfall in Georgia.
• Created a website as a one-stop shop of resources to help Georgians recover. 
• Visited farmers in Ray City with President Biden to survey damage and hear from residents.”

Rev. Warnock said this of the award. “ In times of great hardship, Georgians can always count on me and my office to provide resources and support. I would especially like to thank my State Director, Bee Nguyen, for her steadfast and tireless leadership of my staff in Georgia.”

This is the second straight year a Georgian representing Cobb County has won a CMF Award. Last year, Rep. Lucy McBath and her office were recognized for how they represent their constituents.

The awards are bipartisan, too. Chris Crawford, who works for GOP Rep. Buddy Carter, was also recognized with a Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) Award. So was Texas GOP Rep. August Pfluger, also recognized for helping constituents. The list has a nearly even number of Republicans and Democrats.

The American Red Cross provides a number of helpful tips on how to evacuate, as well as how to shelter safely, this hurricane season. They also provide tips on when to come back to your home, and what to do in the aftermath of the storm, with helpful videos in English and Spanish.

As our U.S. Government notes, we’ve learned the lessons of the Atlantic storm Helene: “Hurricanes are not just a coastal problem. Find out how rain, wind, water and even tornadoes could happen far inland from where a hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall. Start preparing now.”

Ready.gov adds, “Make sure everyone in your household knows and understands your hurricane plans. Include the office, kids’ day care, and anywhere else you frequent in your hurricane plans. Ensure your business has a continuity plan to continue operating when disaster strikes.”

Finally, “Have several ways to receive alerts. Download the FEMA app and receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide. Sign up for community alerts in your area and be aware of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), which require no sign-up.”

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu or on “X” at @johntures2. His first book “Branded” will be coming out this Fall, published by Huntsville Independent Press (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/).