hospital, Phoebe Sumter, opened at a new location on the corner of US 19 and Highway 280 in December 2011. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue said, "It was worse I had feared. The hospital was hit, but the devastation within the area of Sumter County and Americus was more than I imagined. The businesses around the hospital are totally destroyed. Power is still not restored in many places. It's just a blessing frankly that we didn't have more fatalities than we did." Over 500 homes were affected, with around 100 completely destroyed. Several businesses throughout the town were seriously damaged or destroyed as well. Among the businesses suffering major damage were Winn Dixie supermarket, Wendy's, Zaxby's, McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, and several local businesses. The Winn Dixie was completely destroyed. Domino's Pizza has since reopened, as well as Winn Dixie, which soon closed down, a Harvey's opening in its place. President George W. Bush visited the area on March 3, calling what he saw "tough devastation." Notable people Griffin Bell Mike Cheokas - politician Brent Cobb Howell Cobb Philip Cook Charles F. Crisp Charles R. Crisp Cassandra Pickett Durham Lonne Elder III Millard Fuller Chan Gailey Jimmy Garrison Victor Green Kent Hill George Hooks Alonzo Jackson Eddie Jackson Otis Leverette Angel Martino Joanna Moore Ruby Muhammad James Nabrit Jr. Leonard Pope Dan Reeves Mo Sanford Baseball There have been eight minor league teams that have represented the city of Americus during 20 seasons spanning 1906–2002. Since classification of the minors began, seven of them have been labeled as class D loops and one played in an independent league. Several ballplayers for Americus teams subsequently played in the major leagues. Tourism Georgia Rural Telephone Museum - Leslie Georgia Veterans State Park - Lake Blackshear Jimmy Carter National Historic Site - Plains Habitat for Humanity Global Village and Discovery Center - Americus Gallery References External links City website Community website Americus (in the New Georgia Encyclopedia) The Americus Newsletter Americus Sumter Chamber of Commerce South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive, Digital Library of Georgia Americus Movement, Civil Rights Digital Library 1832 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Americus, Georgia micropolitan area Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Sumter County, Georgia National Register of Historic Places in Sumter County, Georgia