Walton County Deputies Help Neighbors Clean Up After Hurricane Isaias
A Walton County sheriff’s deputy came home from a long shift to find branches covering his property — and started helping his neighbors before touching his own damage. When fellow deputies found out, they showed up at his house to return the favor.
The days after Hurricane Isaias have been measured in downed trees and tangled power lines across Walton County. Caroline Ambrose, who rode out the storm with her family, described the night it hit: “First it was cool, but scary. The trees were just whirling. We were taking videos and then it kind of the reality set in that we had no power.” The sounds that followed — “loud thuds,” she called them — announced the damage before daylight could.
When the sun rose, Ambrose said, the neighborhood could hardly believe what it was seeing. “We couldn’t get over it. We truly could not get over power lines everywhere. The neighbor behind us, they had a huge tree come in between their garage and their house. We were all in shock,” she said.
One of the neighbors working through that wreckage was a Walton County sheriff’s deputy who had just come off a long shift, with branches down across his own property. Instead of starting at home, he pitched in to help the people around him first. Word of what he was doing got back to the Sheriff’s Office, and fellow deputies rallied at his house to clear the trees from his roof.
“He had trees falling down on his house, so we’re trying to do everything we can to get trees off his house,” Chief Deputy Dustin Cosson said. “He’s been out helping other people on his time off, trying to take care of his neighbors. So that’s what it’s all about.”
The moment left an impression on the next generation, too. Ambrose said she woke her young son, James, to watch the deputies at work — and the deputies gave the boy a sheriff’s badge and stickers. “That was incredibly amazing enough for me to wake up my sleeping baby to see it,” she said. “It gave me goosebumps to see that.”
The helping has not stopped at one yard. Walton County sheriff’s deputies have been working with utility companies to keep traffic flowing around restoration crews, and officials said power restoration may take a few days. The Freeport High School shelter remains open as needed while the recovery continues.
Originally reported by WJHG Newschannel 7. Image: WJHG Newschannel 7.
