AC repair inPembroke, GA

PEMBROKE, Ga. (WSAV) – Yesterday, Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that WebstaurantStore, a supplier to food service professionals around the world, will construct a new distribution facility in Ellabell, Georgia.

The new facility will be located at 54 Logistics Drive and will handle the distribution of large restaurant equipment such as commercial indoor/outdoor furniture, fast-moving full case quantities, and many other industrial products.

It will also create 213 new positions in Bryan County, representing more than $87 million in investment and the company’s largest expansion in Georgia.

“Companies like WebstaurantStore continue to recognize Georgia is the best place to do business by expanding here again and again,” said Governor Kemp. “Our world-class logistics infrastructure and business-friendly environment make it possible for companies to operate in every corner of the state while still enjoying direct access to national and international markets and a highly-qualified workforce.”

Established in 2004, WebstaurantStore is an online distributor aimed at meeting the purchasing needs of food service professionals internationally.

“We are pleased to continue our operations in Georgia and the Georgia Ports Authority market, with what will become our largest distribution center to date. The labor pool and skilled logistics workforce of the greater Savannah area made our decision easy when selecting another site for distribution,” said Caleb Clugston, Vice President of Network Optimization at WebstaurantStore. “We look forward to continued growth and positively impacting the community as well as the State of Georgia for many years to come.”

The company currently has warehouses located in several other states as well as Georgia. Currently, they employ more than 680 Georgians in two counties in onsite locations and various remote locations.

At the new Pembroke location, the company will be hiring shipping and receiving managers and associates, as well as inventory control and quality assurance associates. Interested applicants can learn more and apply here.

“We are excited to have WebstaurantStore joining our existing industry base,” said Development Authority of Bryan County (DABC) Chairman Jon Seagraves. “In addition to creating over 200 jobs, the company plans to pay very strong wages. These are great opportunities for the residents of Bryan County and the region, and we would just like to welcome WebstaurantStore to our community.”

“The expansion of existing businesses in Georgia is equally important as the attraction of new employers to the state,” said Griff Lynch, Executive Director of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA). “At GPA, we are proud to help support the success of outstanding companies such as WebstaurantStore as they grow their footprint and jobs base in Georgia.”

Emma Carroll was a woman of few words but those who met her were captivated by her warm smile.

A lifelong resident of Pembroke, she was well-known throughout the community. The town even has a street named after her family - Carroll Crossing Road. But on July 18, 2009, Emma disappeared without a trace.

13 years later, the family is still in mourning and hopeful they will get answers sooner than later.

Humble beginnings

Emma Carroll was born Oct. 4, 1925. Her mother was from Soperton, Ga., but later moved to Pembroke. Emma was a jack of all trades — whether it be working in the fields or serving in the school lunchroom, she found a way to provide for her family. No task was too big for the mother of 11 children. Her daughter, Alethia Carroll, described her as a shy, reserved woman whose work-ethic was unmatched.

“It was a struggle for her, being poor and raising 11 children,” said Alethia. “But she was a very loyal person. There isn’t anything in the world she would not have done for her children.”

What Alethia remembers most about her mother was her unwavering faith in God. Emma served as the mother of the church, presiding over the communion service. Most of all, Alethia said Emma epitomized what it meant to be a mother.

“My mother was a Christian, born again and spirit filled,” said Alethia. “If I ever had a chance to choose my mother, I would never choose any other than the one I had. She was a good mom and because we were poor, she made a lot of sacrifices.”

July 18, 2009

Emma disappeared from Alethia’s house one summer day in July after Alethia had left the home for a couple hours.

“When I walked in the front door, the chair she normally sits in was empty,” said Alethia. “I went through the entire house, calling her name. We are in a very rural area. When I couldn’t find her, I called my sisters and brothers. I got in my truck and started riding around. It was about 15-20 minutes from the time we missed her until the we called the Sheriff’s office.”

Emma was suffering from dementia and was 83-years-old at the time of her disappearance.

“Her mind was weak,” said Alethia. “We didn’t know what to expect. Some days she was okay. Some days she was not.”

Alethia has come to terms with the fact that her mother has probably passed by now. Still, knowing where she took her last breath would give her the solace she so desperately desires.

“It was somewhere in the afternoon that she left,” said Alethia. “Her mother used to live right down the road that we live on. I would think that whenever she left this house, I think she thought she was going to her mother’s house.”

No sign of her

Mark Crowe, sheriff for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, remembers how her disappearance shook the community and how the severity of her illness may have played a role in her vanishing.

“Typically what we find with people with dementia is they don’t know where they are,” said Crowe. “They think that they know where they are going. I would hate to think that someone picked her up. I really think she found some path to get on and eventually realized she didn’t know how to get back. We want to know exactly what happened to her. If there’s a way to say we think this area didn’t get looked at or maybe go back over the entire pattern, they may be able to find a piece of clothing or something that would lead to her.”

Alethia praised the community for how quickly they responded to helping find her mother.

“The people all came together, and the neighborhood came together,” said Alethia. “We did a 9-day active search and nothing was ever found. Thirteen years later and we still don’t have answers.”

Alethia said law enforcement used every tool in their toolbox to find her mother, but they came up empty. “We did the best we could do to find her. We had the dogs, dirt bikes, horses, the sheriff’s department did a great job and the people from the TV station came up here. They even brought the helicopters up here that same night.”

Lt. Resa Deal worked the case and recalls combing through the area.

“It was hard for the family,” said Carroll. “For their mom to have walked away like she did was hard for the family. We tried for about three weeks. We had helicopters. We had everything.”

After her mother’s disappearance, dozens of people called in saying they saw Emma. But they turned out to be false leads.

“We got a lot of calls,” said Alethia. “There were people from Atlanta telling us they have a person up there and they don’t know who she is. Unfortunately, it was not my mother.”

Keeping her legacy alive

Eight of Emma’s 11 children are still living. Though it has been painful to accept they will never see their mother again, they plan on celebrating her legacy and life in the near future.

“It’s extremely difficult,” said Alethia. “My family – they mostly just shut down. Coming up to the pandemic, we were going to celebrate her birthday every year and then the pandemic hit, and we were not able to do it. I don’t know if we will pick it up this year, but we will at some point.”

Emma beat poverty and raised 11 children with little-to-nothing. She found ways to persevere. Alethia watched her mom fight through adversity every day, so she refuses to give up on the woman who never gave up on her.

“I think about her every day,” said Alethia. “We love her, we miss her and we wish she was here. The case is not closed. As long as we don’t know what happened to her, the case is not closed.”

Want to help?

Emma was last seen wearing a blue dress with flowers and a white collar. To submit a tip, call the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office at 912-653-3800.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

PEMBROKE, Ga. (WTOC) - An effort is underway in Pembroke to revitalize the city’s old theater. The TOS theater in downtown Pembroke opened in the 1930′s but closed in the 70′s for economic reasons. Now, one man is working with the city to give this once thriving theater a new life.

“What I see when I come through here is not a rundown place that needs to be demolished. What I see is a thriving cultural center that we can bring back to Pembroke,” said Joseph Frew-Miller.

Among the relics of old films and storage items that now call this theater home comes a vision to bring back theater experiences to north Bryan County.

“We don’t have a cultural hub here. We don’t have a place for people to meet, gather and have cultural experiences.”

Spearheaded by local digital media teacher Joseph Frew-Miller, he says the idea to revitalize the old theater came over a conversation with the mayor about shooting locations for his students’ films.

“And then I started talking with her about places to actually show our films. We don’t really have a place here to show a lot of our talent. Even at the high school, we don’t have an auditorium. So, this is a perfect place and it’s a perfect time to bring this project back to life.”

Over the next three years, Miller and the city plan to transform this space from a storage center to a cultural hub, complete with new seating, a new stage, and a new space for local students to show off their work.

It’s a hidden gem, say city staff, coming at a pivotal point ahead of projected growth.

Raul Secundino with the Pembroke Downtown Development Authority Director, said, “they don’t even know we have a theater. It’ll allow them to have something else to do, as far as going to a movie theater. It’s just something else to provide for the community for citizens now but also future citizens that choose to make Pembroke home.”

And for Miller, he hopes this theater’s curtain call comes sooner than later.

“It’s going to be the pride and joy of Pembroke, GA.”

The plans for the theater go beyond the building itself. City staff say they hope to open an outdoor event space next door and renovate the neighboring building into a bistro for the theater.

Copyright 2022 WTOC. All rights reserved.

Nolan Driggers reached for the front door, kids in tow and his wife one step behind him.

The family of four was trying to leave their home in Ellabell and hit the interstate after hearing about a tornado that touched down in Pembroke. Driggers did not realize it was just a few seconds away from his neighborhood when he received the notification.

Moments later, his home was upside down.

“We were at home and I had been watching the weather,” said Driggers. “Everything was pretty calm at my house. Then they said a tornado hit Pembroke. When I opened the back door to leave, I saw the tornado touching the top of my neighbor’s house. As it came over ours, I tried to pull a mattress over us. Our house started flipping two or three times. The entire time my wife was praying. We didn’t think we were going to make it.”

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Once the storm passed, he called everyone’s name but there was one person that did not respond. In that moment, Driggers said he began praying that his child was not dead.

“I couldn’t find my 3-year old anywhere,” said Driggers. “I was trying to hold on to my two girls, but they slipped out of my hands. I found my 9-year old but I couldn’t find my 3-year old. There were a bunch of stuffed animals and blankets strewn around because of the tornado. Finally, I saw her feet and pulled her up. At first, she was not saying anything. I started shaking her and asking her if she was okay. Then she smiled and said, ‘I am okay.’ When I first saw her feet sticking up underneath all that stuff, I started screaming at the top of my lungs.”

In the midst of the chaos, Driggers did not realize he dislocated his shoulder. In addition, he suffered several cuts on his hip that led to a staph infection. “My leg got to where I couldn’t walk on it. I thought I could nurse it myself. Four or five days later, I was in the hospital.”

The family was given a camper to use temporarily, but with it being just 24-feet-wide, they knew it would not be a comfortable space to live in long-term. Driggers admitted he was frustrated with FEMA, saying he was under the impression they were going to provide assistance for those impacted by the tornado.

“It’s my fault,” said Driggers. “We did not have homeowner’s insurance. “We were waiting on FEMA to come in and then I found out that FEMA was not coming.”

But almost a month to the day of the tornado, Bryan County Sheriff Mark Crowe, Marty and Cindy Daniel of Daniel Defense, God’s Pit Crew and former NASCAR driver Jeb Burton provided the family with a new mobile home, complete with all new furniture.

“It’s incredible,” said Driggers. “I am so thankful for everyone’s support.”

Other families still struggling to find assistance

But one family has not been so fortunate.

Yvonne Whitfield, whose home was destroyed in the Homestead subdivision in Ellabell, is in a battle with her insurance company due to a clause she believes is being enforced in her new policy, which does not go into effect until June.

'It is complete devastation':One dead, 8 injured from tornado that hit Bryan County

“What they are telling us is they have a clause in my new policy that if the property is going to be repaired, they will pay for living expenses for a reasonable amount of time for us to live somewhere and they will pay for food and rent and things like that,” said Whitfield.

“But if our home is a total loss, they will only pay for the first seven days after they cut the check on the dwelling. Now that they are cutting the check on the dwelling, I am stuck dealing with all my additional living expenses, plus my mortgage payment that I have to continue to make.

Whitfield said her insurance company quoted just $42,000 in damages. Before the storm hit, Whitfield thought insurance would cover most or all of her expenses. In all, she has spent $10,000 and counting. “For a month now, we have been eating out and paying people."

Whitfield added she thinks other communities were put before hers when it came to the cleanup efforts. But she praised two groups that stepped up in a big way.

“I don’t think they did it on purpose, but I don’t think they realized how bad it was on our side,” said Whitfield. “But Pembroke Advanced Communications – they were amazing with their equipment and generosity and camaraderie. And Sam-Jay Landscaping was very helpful as well. Had it not been for them, we would not have gotten as far as we did.”

For now, Whitfield is stuck paying for her camper and the mortgage from her home that was destroyed. She said it has been a painful process as she and her husband continue to shell out money to make sure they stay on top of their expenses.

“We pay insurance so you are protected,” said Whitfield. “But you are not protected. They are protecting themselves. My neighbor who has a different insurance company is getting a new roof put on their house. Their truck is being repaired. I haven’t gotten anywhere. We are already going through enough emotions and stress and trying to salvage things. There are things that are gone and you cannot replace them.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

Three other EF-4 tornadoes occurred in the U.S., all with winds of 170 mph. The Bryan County tornado had estimated winds of 185 mph.

PEMBROKE, Ga. — Bryan County, Georgia's EF-4 tornado from April 5 will go down as the strongest tornado in the United States for 2022. The National Weather Service office in Charleston, SC estimated wind speeds of 185 mph with the coastal Georgia tornado.

The tornado's path ran for 14.5 miles, beginning just west of the Bryan County Courthouse in Pembroke and traveling just beyond Interstate 16. At the tornado's widest, it measured a distance of 1,300 yards.

The storm damaged part of the roof on the Bryan County Courthouse, blew out some windows, and snapped numerous trees in the area.

According to local news reports, construction has not yet started on the courthouse but local officials expect repairs to be completed by the end of 2023.

Beyond the Pembroke area, the tornado moved over a wooded, marshy area, producing massive tree damage, and heavily damaging a residence on Stubbs Farm Road.

The tornado then continued east-northeast moving through Hendrix Park, the Park Place subdivision, and the Black Creek Golf Course where it reached its maximum EF-4 intensity and width of approximately three-quarters of a mile.

Four individual damage points in the Park Place subdivision prompted the EF-4, one of which was bolts holding a foundation being bent.

In addition to the structural damage, numerous trees in the area were snapped.

Along Olive Branch Road and Homestead Drive, several mobile homes were completely destroyed, causing one death and injuries in the area.

The tornado weakened as it crossed Interstate 16 at U.S. Highway 280 (exit 143), dissipating just east of Oracal Parkway Circle.

Three other EF-4 tornadoes occurred in the United States in 2022, one in Iowa and two that crossed from Texas into Oklahoma. The Winterset, IA tornado happened on March 5, causing 6 deaths. The two Texas/Oklahoma tornadoes happened on November 4 with no fatalities.

All three other EF-4 tornadoes had peak winds of 170 mph.

Tornado ratings are measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which estimates a tornado's strength based on damage that has occurred.

According to the National Weather Service, when tornado-related damage is surveyed, it is compared to a list of Damage Indicators and Degrees of Damage which help estimate better the range of wind speeds the tornado likely produced.