“Valdosta has been ravaged,” said Trump. “The town is very badly hurting and many thousands are without power. They’re running low on food and fuel; we brought a lot of it down with us.” 

Trump told the press that he believes it is important to put politics aside and help each other during a time like this.  

 “We’re not talking about politics now,” said Trump. “We must all get together and get this solved. We need a lot of help.” 

He gave a salute to the first responders and gave a moment of silence to honor those who lost their lives because of the storm. 

Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse stood behind Trump during the conference. He shared words urging people to help. 

“It’s going to take an army of volunteers and people to respond,” said Rev. Graham. 

He then said a prayer over the city. 

Commander Steve Thomas  of Lowndes County Sherriff’s Office was working security for the conference. There were various precautions put in place due to the previous assassination attempts towards Trump. 

“The Secret Service is working with us, local law enforcement, as they do in every situation,” said Thomas. “They are also working with Lowndes County Sherrif’s Department and EOC (Emergency Operations Center). We are all working together collectively to make sure everything is safe and secure.” 

The roads were cut off and people were separated from the press by yellow trespassing tape. The Secret Service stood on rooftops and police watched every corner. If someone passed the yellow tape, they would be told to get back. 

Jeremiah Heath, a Valdosta resident, stood in the crowd during the event. He faced large damages from the storm. 

“We had four trees fall on our house, several in the yard, and one in the pool,” said Heath. “We are going to be out of commission for about four months rebuilding and relying on the insurance to help us in that process.” 

He said he is appreciative that Trump came to Valdosta and saw the damage firsthand.  

“I’m grateful that someone would care enough about Valdosta to come out and see what shape we are in, and hopefully offer some support afterwards,” said Heath. 

Dawn Clowes, a Valdosta resident, believed that she was fortunate during the storm because she only lost power.  

“Me personally, we were very blessed,” said Clowes. “We’re without power, probably for another week, but we also paid to have 50 trees removed from our property beforehand. My neighbor had a tree come right through his kitchen, cutting it in half all the way to the floor.” 

She feels concerned for the people around her and said that the damages are more than anyone could have expected.  

“There is a lot of damage everywhere,” said Clowes. “My heart just aches. Then I see the photos of the flooding in Nashville. It’s just constant prayer.” 

Russel Brown, a senior criminal justice major at VSU, attended the event to show his support.  

 “I’m happy to be here with people who share my beliefs,” said Brown. “I think it’s going to be a great time.” 

Brown believed that Trump would offer support for the city.  

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Brown. “I think that he’s doing it so we can get funding from FEMA and it will be a great thing to help us out in the city.” 

Stephen Southall, a senior and public relations major, attended the event with Brown. He thinks Trump holding a conference showed his support for small towns.  

“I was really surprised that he would come to such a small town like this,” said Southall. “I think it speaks volumes to what happened to Valdosta due to the hurricane.” 

Southall believes that the city has seen progress since the hurricane hit. 

“I think they’re making great progress right now,” said Southall. “They’re getting the power back up pretty speedily compared to what I thought would happen.” 

Story by Jenna Arnold, Spectator Editor-in-Chief. Photos by Austin Coarsey, Spectator contributor.