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EEMA staff talk with seniors about hurricane preparedness
Clint Hodges talks with senior
EEMA Director Clint Hodges answers a question from Alice Franklin after Tuesday’s hurricane preparedness presentation at the Effingham County Senior Citizens Center. (Submitted photos.)
Published: Jul 2, 2024, 6:55 PM

Special to the Herald

SPRINGFIELD – Director Clint Hodges and Coordinator Shanna Smith of the Effingham County Emergency Management Agency were guest speakers at the Effingham County Senior Citizens Center June 25.

Hodges and Smith spoke primarily about hurricane preparedness. They addressed evacuation zones, shelter availability, and the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS).

Shanna Smith
EEMA Coordinator Shanna Smith
The public safety officials, who engaged in several one-on-one chats after their presentation, strongly promoted the Hurricane Registry and offered to help members get their names on it. Maintained by the Effingham County Health Department, the registry is for residents with certain healthcare conditions who may need transportation or medical assistance and have no resources such as family members or friends to help them evacuate when a storm is threatening.

The time to apply for the registry is when no storms are approaching. Applications stop being accepted 72 hours prior to the arrival of tropical force winds.

To apply for the hurricane registry, residents should call toll-free, 1-833-CHD-REGISTER (1-833-243-7344). A representative will take some basic information and then the Effingham County Health Department will follow up to complete the process.

The Effingham County Health Department is located at 802 Ga. 119 South, Springfield. Its phone number is (912) 754-6484.

To receive WENS notifications by text or email, sign up at https://bit.ly/4emRrJU. WENS is a mass notification system that broadcasts real-time alerts and information.

 
Effingham Step-Grandmother Gets Life for Crocker Children Murders
Crocker Case
Elwyn Crocker Jr. and Mary Crocker were discovered buried behind their family’s home in Effingham County in 2018.
Updated: Sep 16, 2025, 6:41 PM
Published: Sep 16, 2025, 6:42 PM

GUYTON, Ga. — The step-grandmother of two Effingham County children whose bodies were found buried in the family’s backyard has pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Kim Wright admitted to multiple charges, including two counts of malice murder, aggravated sexual battery, cruelty to children, concealing a death and false imprisonment.

The case drew national attention in December 2018, when investigators acting on a tip discovered the bodies of 14-year-old Mary Crocker and her brother, Elwyn Crocker Jr., who had disappeared two years earlier at age 14. Authorities later revealed the children suffered severe abuse, including beatings, confinement and neglect.

Wright is the fourth of five defendants in the case to plead guilty. Her son, Mark Anthony Wright; her daughter, Candice Crocker; and Candice’s boyfriend, Roy Prater, are all serving life without parole. The children’s father, Elwyn Crocker Sr., is the only suspect who has not entered a plea.