When local media reported Sunday that Aiken was under a tornado watch, Lt. Jake Mahoney took a picture of the television screen and posted it on Aiken Department of Public Safety's Facebook page to let people know it was time to prepare.
Staying ahead of the game was the theme Sunday as the Palmetto State suffered at least five tornadoes, according to a Wednesday update from the National Weather Service that stated tornadoes also hit Darlington and Calhoun counties.
Local officials' ability to remove trees and debris from city and county roads in less than 24 hours already has been well documented. But Mahoney said the efforts made before the storm even hit are just as noteworthy.
He said police started receiving phone calls before the storm even hit. Because of that, officers had to start coming in and begin preparing for the worst.
Throughout the whole process, Mahoney said, emergency management, or EMS, officers, Aiken and North Augusta Public Works and other departments stepped up to answer the call.
The various groups participated in damage assessment runs and at the same time, they made specific trips to the homes of callers who needed assistance.
Visits included checks on life safety and health. Officials are still happily reporting zero injuries or casualties.
Mahoney applauded the work of city and county officials who "often go unnoticed."
"Public works and those other agencies are coming from the house just like us. They're dropping family plans and responding with chain saws and heavy equipment to assist.
"They're really something special, and we're truly blessed to have a dedicated group," Mahoney said. Tommy Thompson, the director of Aiken County EMS, also offered kudos for the job local officials did in following protocol. Thompson said emergency managers worked all through the day Sunday to assist those in the field.
Specifically, Thompson applauded the County's investment in the Emergency Operations Center inside the government building on University Parkway.
The center is set up so that nearly every emergency entity in the area can meet in one room if need be, said Thompson. There, officials were able to map out plans to tackle the tornado damage using a map to detail areas that were hit the hardest. Those areas included Woodside Plantation, Aiken Estates and the Silver Bluff area.
"Our response community came together as a team and this center was just a great investment for the county," Thompson said.
"It allows us to stand tall as a unit when situations come up."
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.