A week after Helene, here’s the situation in Augusta
- Deaths: CSRA’s toll from Helene rises to 28, including 5 young kids
- ‘We will be here’: In Evans visit, Trump vows hurricane help
- VP visit: ‘We are here for the long haul,’ Harris says in Augusta
- Schools: Reopenings announced in Richmond, Columbia, Burke counties
- Water: Boil order lifted for Augusta Utilities customers
- Relief: FEMA’s on the scene - how to file aid application
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - If you haven’t been out of your house since Hurricane Helene hit the CSRA last Friday, here’s what you should know ...
The roads are largely driveable in Augusta.
It’s not normal by any stretch of the imagination.
There’s still lots of debris, trees are toppled all over the place, and you still may not have power or water service at your house.
But you can easily get out and find supplies, as long as you have a car.
“I actually drove from this location to Wrightsboro Road along the Washington Road corridor,” Mayor Garnett Johnson said Thursday during a news conference at the Augusta Utilities building downtown. “All of the lights were working.”
Don’t worry about gas; there’s plenty of it now.
RESOURCES FOR YOU:
- Region: Community updates from across CSRA
- Help: Free meals, water distribution and more for those in need in the CSRA
- Acts of kindness: Help flows in after Hurricane Helene
- Shelters: Where to go if Helene impacted you in the CSRA
- List: School, office, service closures due to impacts from Helene
There are still some roadway obstructions deep inside older neighborhoods, but major thoroughfares are mostly clear – especially those that double as state highways.
There are still a lot of traffic lights out, so officials remind drivers to treat them as four-way stops. The Georgia Department of Transportation is on the ground Thursday in Richmond and Columbia counties installing four-way stop signs at its intersections, and it’s delivering about 100 repaired signal heads to Augusta.
Electricity is still out for a lot of homes, but it’s back on along major traffic corridors, so there are plenty of businesses open now.
Beech Island grandparents die hugging each other as tree falls on home
John Savage said his grandparents were found hugging one another in the bed, adding that the family thinks it was God’s plan to take them together, rather than one suffer without the other.
That includes probably at least half the gas stations.
And speaking of gas stations, you won’t see the hourslong lines that were common as recently as Monday, when one of our reporters had to wait for four hours.
Today, you’re mostly able to drive right up to a pump without a wait at all.
There are no traffic jams around grocery stores and no blocks-long lines of cars at Costco. And there are no lines of people waiting to get into supermarkets.
Stores are well-supplied with plenty of items – including ice.
Ga. electric utilities say Helene is worst disaster to ever hit them
Georgia’s biggest electric utilities both say Hurricane Helene was the most destructive disaster in their history.
Your biggest obstacle may be the curfew imposed by Johnson. So if you go out, you should get your business done by the time it starts.
If you’re on foot, watch out for traffic, and be aware that most of the aid locations are ideally set up for drive-thru service.
It’s not lost on Johnson that the city’s neediest residents probably can’t take advantage of these aid locations.
He said city officials are working on that, and if people can’t get out to get what they need, call 311 and the city will find a solution. Johnson said community “strike teams” are out there getting services to those in need, including some transportation and services for people not able to make it to aid locations.
On Friday, the city added some faith-based partners who will work to get supplies where they’re needed.
If you normally get around by bus, you’re out of luck there. While most drivers feel fine on the roadways, Augusta Transit s don’t think the roads are ready for buses yet.
While some restaurants are open again, others aren’t. That’s partly because the city is requiring a new inspection and permit before they can reopen.
Another thing that’s more or less back to normal is garbage service.
Pickup was delayed this week but will be on a regular schedule next week, city officials said at Thursday’s news conference.
If you have some food that’s gone bad in your refrigerator or freezer, the city understands. The fee at the landfill will be waived for food waste if you show an ID with a Richmond County address.
As far as storm debris, start piling it up by the curb. A contractor will start picking it up next week.
The contractor will make two to three es through the city, and GPS tracking will ensure every street is driven.
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