North Augusta community continues to rebuild after Helene
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NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - In North Augusta, leaders say their focus is on getting the area back to normal.
Officials say North Augusta was hit the worst in the state.
It’s been 12 days, and Hammond Hills still has downed power lines, trees and debris everywhere.
Cars are crushed and homes are split in half.
So, officials came together to tour the area again on Wednesday and said it’s important to stick together at a time like this.
‘Bright sense of optimism’: Augusta turns a corner in Helene recovery
It’s getting close to two weeks since Hurricane Helene strafed the CSRA, and now things are looking a lot brighter for Augusta.
“This is the most devastating experience we’ve ever had, and we’re over 70 years old,” said North Augusta resident Anie McCraw.
In an area that’s been hit the hardest, they’ve leaned on each other.
Joanie McCraw, a North Augusta resident, said: “There were people going up and down the streets asking if we needed help. It was unbelievable. The humanity just came together for this, because this was very devastating.”
It’s a type of destruction that many people have never seen before.
North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams said: “The reality is, when you have a hurricane that did the damage that it did, you got to , for the CSRA, we’re talking decades on both sides of infrastructure shorting for hours. But then you look at what’s done in North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida, you know that brings people together.”
Regardless of where you’re from, an Israeli Consul general brought supplies to help people in Georgia and South Carolina.
“These past days seeing the hardship here in the southeast by those affected by Hurricane Helene, this is our small opportunity to tell all of our friends here on the ground that we stand with You, we you,” said Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon.
Locals have been working hard to rebuild for the last 12 days.
YMCA is working hard to keep families fed after Helene
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Family YMCA of Greater Augusta has stepped in to help feed families and children.
Williams said: “Our folks have done an incredible job, and I’m really proud of them because a lot of communities have not moved as fast as we are.”
And they’re trying to get back to a sense of normalcy.
Joanie said: “I told my husband I’d rather have an ice storm, you know because basically, you just repair the lines that are broken with this. They’re repairing the poles, they’re repairing the entire grid. And I just want people to be patient and just help other people.”
Officials say they are hopeful after having nearly 14,000 outages and only have 141 left.
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